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 14, March 19, 2026
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It's welcome to the NCAA Tournament Thursday... why this day is nothing but scary for fans of the Badgers and other top 6 seeds playing. We welcome in Vinny Rottino from Brewers TV...on a budding controversy with the ABS appeals, Garrett Mitchell's path back to CF in Milwaukee might include Nashville... and how and why the Brewers are still the favorite in the NL Central
I love Mondays with Mike Heller.
SPEAKER_01Broadcasting live 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_00Oh, one of my favorite days of the year is we get started with the NCAA tournament. Uh and this day has so much that is baked into it, especially when your team and in state we only have one team in the tournament this year. Many times both Marquette and Wisconsin are in the field. But right now we know it's only Wisconsin in the men's NCAA basketball tournament. The University of Wisconsin Green Bay is in the women's tournament. Today is a scary day. Because all you can do today is lose. If you win, you're supposed to win, and everybody's focused on Saturday, whether that's Arkansas or Hawaii. You lose today, it has multiple facets to it. Your team is out before pretty much anybody else. If Wisconsin play uh plays today, and they do at 12 50 Central Time. If they were to lose, they'll be the fourth team eliminated. I don't count the Tuesday, Wednesday teams that are out. That means there are 60 teams left in the tournament and you're not one of them. So there's that part. They steal the the tournament gets stolen from you if your team gets beat early on Thursday. You get no joy. I've always been this kind of a uh college basketball fan. I want my team to play their opening game on Friday night. Because you get the built-in anticipation and you get to savor the moments that are Thursday, morning, afternoon, late night, Friday, morning, afternoon to early evening, and then it really kind of builds on you that your team is in it. So today's a really nervy day if you're a fan. If you're just a tournament fan, then that doesn't exist. It exists on your bracket, but you know your bracket is gonna suck, right? I mean, very few of you are gonna have a bracket that you're gonna go after the opening weekend. Hey, look at this. I'm in great shape. There's a few of you, but not many. So I got in a few of the bracket challenges uh with my Club 101 guys from Fantasy Camp. I'm in on that deal. Vinny's gonna join us in a little bit. I don't know if he's in on that or not. Did uh did Sammy invite him? I don't know the answer. Uh we'll find that out in in a little bit when Vinny joins us. Well, today's a nervy day. Wisconsin should win. I've talked about it all week. I know that people get super anxious and want to make high point better than they are. They're good. That's all they are is good. But good teams for a day for 40 minutes can be great. And a really good team like Wisconsin for 40 minutes can be less than. You just hope that doesn't happen to your team. But it's gonna happen. It's what makes the tournament magical. You just don't want it to be to your team. We all tune in, like somebody will say, hey, that game's close, you know, so and so they'll look at at uh I don't know, North Dakota State and Michigan State. It's snug, late, and you all tune in unless you're a Michigan State fan, you go, let's go, bison. Because that's what the tournament does. You root for underdogs, but if it's your team in the deal, unless your team is the underdog, you're not on that side. But I will also say this in Portland today, as they tip that off, and it's the first game uh in that West region today in Portland, uh, they will certainly be looking at that, and that group is going to be fans of High Point. That's the way it works. That's how that structures. So you got that going on as well out there today. Be fair about this, be honest about this. If you're a Wisconsin Badger fan, today's nothing but scary. Nothing but scary. You're supposed to win. And if you don't, it's over. And then all my Greg Gard haters are gonna come out and they're all gonna jump on this. And I I would give you the leash on that. If that were to happen, then tomorrow's show is going to be um a lot of comments coming in on my feed here talking about you know what's going on there. Uh James uh is now becoming a regular with a good morning. Uh good morning, James. How are you? And then uh let's see this. We get uh Mulcahy, hey Mikey, happy first day of the tourney. Damn right it is. And then I look at this because there are other elements at play here. The Brewers will open the regular season one week from today at American Family Field. By the way, they're playing a game tonight because it's 106 frickin' degrees in Phoenix. Uh, they moved that game to a night game. I don't know if it's moved. I think it was moved. I don't think it was a planned night game, but it could have been. Uh, but they're moving a lot of anything that's scheduled as day games in the Valley of the Sun, the Valley of the Heat, which it never gets this hot this early. Well, I can't say that now that it has. They're gonna move those to night games. But the important thing here, and we'll get to it with Vinny in a couple of moments, and that is that uh Brandon Woodruff will go tonight. And we're gonna talk to Vinny about the importance of how many ups he gets in that game. Uh, will he go to four ups? Because I think he's had three ups in a sim game. So, and what does this mean for next Thursday or has that ship sailed? We'll get to uh some of that conversation with Vinny here in a couple of minutes. Let me tell you about our sponsors because they matter. And Vinny's time here is brought to you by Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino. And oh, by the way, what a madhouse that place is today. And if you haven't been to a sports book for the opening day or the opening couple of days of the NCAA basketball tournament, do yourself a favor and head down to Pottawatomi. This goes out to all my fellow sports betters. If you've got the itch right now for the NCAA tournament, the best place to do it is at Pottawatomi Sportsbook. It's your place to bet above the rest. Want to bet on sports? When you want, go to Pottawatomi Sportsbook in Milwaukee. Trust me, it has everything you need to bet above the rest. Also, this program is presented in part by Habish, Habish, and Rotier. The injury reports here, including that of Nolan Winter, he's gonna go today. Our injury reports are brought to you by Habish, Habish, and Roter, 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. And this program is presented. Our presenting sponsors are M3 Insurance. They help businesses and individuals manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide the right benefits to their employees. M3 leveraging digital product and program solutions to protect and serve clients across the country. So if you're affiliated with a business, maybe it's your own, or maybe it's your role within a medium or large-size business, and it's your part of your job to secure insurance for your employees or benefit packages, you need to visit with M3 Insurance, M3INS.com. I appreciate your support of the program, but I also implore you and appreciate your support of our clients, of our sponsors. And in this case, M3 Insurance is certainly one of those. M3INS.com. And I love Mondays with Mike Heller, also presented by the Neuroscience Group. From diagnosis to recovery, neuroscience group brings together neurology, neurosurgery, pain management, and therapy, all under under one roof. Advanced care close to home, neuroscience group, Northeast Wisconsin's leader in neurological care. All of our sponsors matter to us. I hope they matter to you too. And I um always will ask you to support those who support us on this show. I bring in uh Vinny Rettino here in a moment. We got to push some buttons and uh and add Vinny to the show. There he goes. Vinny, by the way, a little uh hello out of the gate here from uh from our guy Paul Flanagan. So Flanny from Fantasy Camp says, hey, he reached out to me this morning. By the way, um our injury reports brought to you by Habish Habison Rotier. Flanagan's got a uh he's got a labrum issue. So he's thinking he's already in for next year, but he's thinking uh DH, um just a hitter, probably you know, labrum surgery under uh on its way.
SPEAKER_02Well, pretty sure I'm pretty sure his labrum's hanging by a thread at this point, just with all the fantasy camps that he's been to. But Flannery I mean, just missed the Club 101 MVP, and uh I think he's gonna be back next year to uh not only, yeah, not only to to play well, but also he's gotta win that that crown.
SPEAKER_00Well, you're you're a you're uh an MVP.
SPEAKER_02I am an MVP. I was an inaugural MVP for Club 101. In fact, I I think I helped influence the the guys to create that award, um, which which is a piece of drywall, by the way. That is the trophy where everyone gets their their names written on it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, pretty pretty specular piece there, isn't it? Um how much how fun is is this? Uh I know you obviously you are deep into the baseball world all the time. Um but the NCAA tournament growing up here in Racine and going to school at Lacrosse, what what is what is this weekend like for Vinny Ricino? Are you deep in do you have brackets? Do you have 15 different brackets? Are you in 10 different pools? Did Club 101 did Sammy invite you into their deal?
SPEAKER_02He he did, and I and I just joined and I'm Venmoing him. The the are we allowed to say that we're no, we're we're playing for fun, actually. And so yeah, Sammy, I'm in. As long as I finish ahead of Rillo, I think I'm I'm good with that. So Jeff's really, you know, me and I is like like a big brother, little brother type of relationship, and I always want to, you know, stick it to Rillo. So hopefully I finish ahead of him. But yeah, I got a couple of brackets, it's a lot of fun, right? Because in the state, and you and you said it, I was in the in the lobby, kind of in the waiting room waiting to come on, that we only have a couple of teams uh, you know, in the in the tournament every year. I mean, we we do have UW Green Bay, who has made runs in the past, and UW Milwaukee's made runs in the past, but whenever we we don't have you know 15 schools like you know, Texas or yeah, right. So this year we got one. So we're pulling for and it and it would be unfortunate if they did get knocked out right away. Uh, you know, hopefully guard and the guys can can make a run because I I do get into it, especially if Wisconsin or Marquette or Green Bay or Milwaukee's making a Cinderella run to it. Um, you know, Wisconsin not Cinderella by any stretch. My my cousin was Bronson Koenig. My first cousin is Bronson Kenig. I don't know if you knew that. Yeah, so my mom knows my mom's name is uh is a Koenig, her maiden name. That's and her brother Paul is one of her his sons is is uh Bronson. And yeah, he was an unbelievable athlete growing up, and and it was fun to watch him in those runs.
SPEAKER_00Well, his hit the badgers his hit against Xavier uh it will live forever. And by the way, he hit a three prior to that that tied the game, and then Wisconsin got it back in a tie game, and Bronson hits the shot that Brian Anderson calls television coverage right in front of the Wisconsin bench, one of the iconic uh badger moments. How does the tournament play in a clubhouse? Uh, because you were in a clubhouse when it played, and I would think that the Latin-born players are like, uh, wait, can we talk watchers or baseball? Those are the only two interests. But I imagine it played pretty significantly in a clubhouse as you were making your way through the bigs.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it did. Yeah, definitely. Guys were glued to the TV, they were glued to those matchups, they were definitely glued to you know games where there was going to be an upset for sure. I mean, it's just like everybody else watching the tournament, but they'd have brackets and they'd fill them out, and usually the the clubbies would kind of facilitate those brackets, and then they'd probably pocket a couple extra dollars for their time. But uh, it was um a lot of fun in the clubhouse kind of following the tournament, especially now because yeah, it's it's during spring training. Spring training's wrapping up pretty soon and and the tournament's underway.
SPEAKER_00So um let me take it back to uh the WBC championship game before we spend the rest of our time talking about the Brewers. Uh bats go quiet. I I was listening to a couple of the national talkers in the last day or so saying that just can't happen. You can't have your superstar bats not produce in a in a game when it matters. And I do use this line, Drew Olson used this line a lot of time. Anybody around the game uses this line. There is a that's baseball concept. You you can try as hard as you want, but there are times when you don't see it as well, and it's not about effort or want to or how much your heart is into it or not. But in the championship game, Bryce Harper had two, only Bryce's hit. Bryce Harper had two hits, a single and a home run. Bryce Tarang had a single. That's all they had in the game. But there is a part of that where that's a one-game deal in baseball, that kind of stuff happens. Is that do you view it similarly?
SPEAKER_02You do, and that it's it is cliche to say that that that that's baseball and it's one of those days. Um, but yeah, I mean, especially if if some of your superstars, like an Aaron Judge, is kind of getting pitched around and he's not squaring up the ball. He was over four in that championship game. Kyle Schwarber, same thing. And we've seen those guys go hot and cold, and when they are cold, all of a sudden, that does kind of make it doesn't make that lineup easier to get through by any stretch of the imagination. But once you get past those two superstars that can hit the ball to the moon, it is a little bit more relaxing for the opposing defense and for the opposing pitching staff, and they kind of feel like, okay, I can just make pitches. I will say this though: the Venezuelan team, Team Japan, Team Dominican Republic, uh, not that they wanted it more. However, they could feel, and you could feel when you're watching these games, everybody behind those teams in that country. You could just feel it, especially what's going on kind of politically, I guess, in Venezuela right now. You could just see the want to, the, the, the, the urgency that they were playing with, and and every single strike mattered, and these guys were laser focused. Rodriguez, Edward Rod, Eduardo Rodriguez, he's been awful for the Diamondbacks the last two seasons, and he shut down this all-star lineup. So he pitched out of his mind. And again, it was the country. I feel like it definitely was that country. I mean, Miguel Cabrera was crying after the game. That yeah, I don't think we've ever seen Miguel Cabrera cry on a baseball field. And it was just a cool moment. The the the team USA definitely wanted it. I I would argue that they probably didn't want it quite as bad as Venezuela, but they wanted it and they were competing their tails off. Yeah, they just couldn't get uh the hits across, and they just couldn't you know have the quality at bats that they needed to have in that championship game to put some runs on the board.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and there were there were two things that also played in the game. Maybe when you just purely talk about baseball, after the Harper home run that ties it in the uh in the eighth inning, you didn't go Mason Miller in the ninth. And I wonder if the Padres said only in a save situation, because he was available as we understood it. But even Palencia, who did pitch the bottom of the ninth inning for Venezuela after they took the lead, the Cubs had put out the word to Venezuela and and their team officials, he can only pitch in a save situation. So there were restrictions in this, and I don't know if Mason Miller had a restriction, but let me go to the original point. Leadoff walk after you tie the game, and I know it's not in you're not trying to do it, but you can't do it, and I wondered why, and they didn't have time to get back to it. That pitch might have been just as much a strike as the pitch to the Dominican that ended the game was a ball two nights earlier. Right. But they didn't, they're not using the ABS. So two things. One, they never re-showed it, but it was really, I mean, it might have been a strike on ball four. Can't do that. And then the throw on a not super fast runner stealing second base just wasn't good enough. Tarang did a great job to pick and tag, but it wasn't in time. Had they called him out on the field, the replay would have let the call stand. They called him safe on the field, the replay was gonna let the call stand because it was there wasn't enough there to overturn it either way. But that's a bad throw at a moment that you know, if you make a good throw, you're gonna throw out a runner that's not that fast.
SPEAKER_02Right. And they were playing aggressively, Venezuela, and they were putting the pressure on team USA to kind of execute right there. I agree. And Whitlock walking the bait the the leadoff hitter. Yeah, that's that's definitely something that you cannot do in the last inning. Um, it was yeah, abs it probably next next time around, they're probably gonna have to have abs in this thing, and because a couple of controversial calls right here, but you know, like it ended. I of course I wanted to see Team USA win it. I I thought the tournament, though, Mike, and I think everyone kind of agrees, was a huge win for the game of baseball. And huge, I think, I think you created a lot of fans, not only for the tournament, but for the game in general, for the game of baseball after after this WBC, how competitive it was when usually we're not used to seeing competitive baseball during this time of year and spring training. So it was so awesome. Um, I again I'm disappointed that US didn't win. And I do I do like the narrative of okay, team USA, there's some pressure on you to win this thing next year because you guys had the best roster, couldn't get done.
SPEAKER_00So they're gonna play in the Olympics a year from two years from now, and then uh this returns, although the date isn't set, it's been in every three-year cycle, uh, so it would come back again in in 29. Uh, Unhel Zerpa, um, maybe along with Bryce Gerang, who was voted all tournament, all WBC. Um, Unhel Zerpa, Zerpa. I'll let you handle that. I think that's right. Yeah, he he uh he showed something. I know Murph talked about yesterday. That the perhaps the most impressive player from a brewer standpoint through the tournament is Zerpa. And you know, he's new to Milwaukee. Our fans don't know much about him, but he's gonna play a significant role.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, um, not only did he impress Murph, I think he impressed the entire fan base of the Milwaukee Brewers team because uh this guy has nasty stuff. And and did Matt Arnold pull another fast one? I think I think he might have, right? I mean, you know, Isaac Collins was a good player. He finished, I think, fourth in in the rookie of the year voting last year, and then Nick Mears as well, shipped both of those guys over to Kansas City in order to acquire him. Kind of an under-the-radar move, almost forgotten about, just because they we haven't seen Angel Zerpa in in spring training because he's been playing for Team Venezuela this entire time. And now all of a sudden, like we're getting a glimpse at what this seventh, eighth, and ninth inning could be for the Milwaukee Brewers. And don't forget about Jared Koenig in the sixth. So yeah, Koenig, Zerpa, and then uh Uribe and McGill. I mean, these games are gonna get mighty short, mighty quick, especially in winning situations, leverage situations, because Zerpa, look, Serpa has a 90. What was he showing?
SPEAKER_00An upper 90s fastball, nasty 96, 97, yep, right in there.
SPEAKER_0290 and a nasty slider, and then he gets ground balls at a 64% clip, which is near the top of the league, if not the top of the league among relievers. So he's gonna get ground balls behind this defense that plays exceptional defense with Bryce Tarang and Joey Ortiz up the middle. And uh, yeah, he's gonna be a certainly gonna be a weapon for the Brewers going forward.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so uh uh I'm gonna bring up a potential controversy before it happens because I had this feeling both on the end of the game against Dominican, the Dominic Dominican Republic that ended on a controversial strike three call that wasn't really close to being a strike on the K zone uh on the ABS. Vinny, I don't I I I'm in danger because I don't know if you love ABS out of the gate. Just weigh in quickly on that. If you like or don't like the idea of going to ABS in the way they're doing it right now. So start with that.
SPEAKER_02So, first of all, I I've changed my tune on a lot of this stuff. Like I wasn't a fan of replay at first. Now I think I'm a fan of replay. I'm a fan of what the fans want, actually. And the fans want ABS. I think it's as long as it doesn't disrupt the flow of the game and it's not. I'm actually a fan of it.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So this is where I'm going to go then. In the National Football League, uh America's most popular sport, they don't have coaches' challenges in the final two minutes. Right? Everything gets uh reviewed upstairs and they buzz down. Which can be both good and bad because they can, you know, the offense can go to the line of scrimmage in a hurry and quick snap before upstairs gets to buzz it down. And if that happened in real time, if the coach really thought it was a deal, he'd throw the red flag, right? So now he would have to call a timeout, but if you don't have one, you don't have one. So here's where I think the controversy and what I might like to see as early as next year is that in the ninth inning and extra innings, all ABS challenges are initiated up in the booth. So if the call is made by the home plate umpire and it's a strike and it clearly missed the zone like it did to end the game against the Dominican Republic, upstairs would buzz down because you don't get to tap the helmet. What do you think of the ninth inning and extra innings going to fully correctable ABS balls and strikes?
SPEAKER_02Well, that, Mike, would then create a situation. Now, here's just me thinking kind of outside the box. And I know, and you know, that some of these uh front office types, you know, very smart people are thinking outside the box in a situation like that. They would then put, let's say, uh Jake Bowers behind the plate, left-handed throwing Jake Bowers behind the plate, as long as he can throw a runner out at second base, because it doesn't matter where he catches it, how he catches it. Right. So that's the only thing. It would all it would turn into a full ABS, then, where every single call is being called by the the robot by the computer.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the umpire's gonna call it, and the only time like my version of this, my vision of it would be that the umpire still calls it, and abs just buzzes down on a miss. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_02An egregious miss. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00On an agreed, yeah, right. So the hitter, uh, the hitter and the catcher no longer have the tap right in the ninth inning. I mean, this is again, it's not apples to apples, but this is what the NFL does. They say you cannot throw the red flag inside of two minutes. All plays are reviewed, and everything else is reviewed, uh, essentially in Major League Baseball. You know, you can have an umpires challenge uh in the ninth inning if they aren't certain of a call. But I just I want to just put that into play. Right. It would have likely changed the way the game against the Dominican Republic ended because that's ball four, and that would have been a quick and easy review because it was ball four. And then we didn't re-see it. I'd have to go back and watch it on uh on replay to see the ball four call, the leadoff hitter in the top of the ninth inning against Venezuela, because I think it was a strike. They never re-showed it, but I thought it was on the edge of the zone. So, and then it immediately popped into my head okay, we've had two and two nights. You know, one on one in the semifinal, one in the final, that is super significant, both in the ninth inning, and the other sport takes it out of the coach's hand in inside of two minutes in overtime. They say all reviews happen from the booth. So I just wanted to put that out there and see what Vinny's initial thought was on it.
SPEAKER_02You're opening up a can of worms that, yeah, that now that well all now that abs is in play, all of this, all these discussions are are gonna be in play. And is it a slippery slope to do so? I I don't know. I I I think I think you have a point. I I definitely think you have a point. Another another option could be go ahead and give a team one more challenge in the ninth inning, if correct, especially if they don't have if they have zero, but then they're gonna be a little bit more liberal with their strategy earlier on in the game. So there's some strategy to it, or just start with three. I think two, I think two is not enough. Yeah, two just my initial thought. Yeah, I mean, because if you challenge in a big spot early in the game and you lose, then you really are holding back. You cannot challenge again because of what we're talking about late in the game, key situation, bases loaded, full count. You don't want to miss call on that situation. So I think three, I think three is probably the right number.
SPEAKER_00All right, Vinny. Let's uh let's uh oh okay. Well, let's see. This came in. Uh uh you may or may not know that this is true or not. Alex says just announced uh Jordan Love throwing out the first pitch on opening day a week from now.
SPEAKER_02That's pretty cool. No, I love it. Yeah. Jordan Love, big packer or big uh Brewers fan for sure, right? So I think that's pretty cool, especially get the fans riled up. You know, um, what a heartbreaking loss to the Bears. Uh, he should definitely throw out the first pitch at the first Cubs Brewers game, right? I think that would be I think that would be a good one. But we'd like to that's a that's a cool touch. That's that's a good look by the Brewers.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Monday and Tuesday exhibition games to uh in Milwaukee against Cincinnati. We'll talk about those in a minute. Let's go to today. Uh Brandon Woodruff is gonna throw tonight. It's uh they they moved that game. Did they move the game to a night game because of the heat, or was it always scheduled? Do you know?
SPEAKER_02I know that they scheduled a couple of night games. I actually don't know that, Mike.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but I mean, but it is 106 for a high today in Phoenix-ish. So Brandon Woodruff goes tonight. Uh it'll be he's pitching in sim games, but what do you think? Has the ship sailed on him getting the opening day start, or are we looking at four ups tonight? And if he looks good and feels good, that he could uh grab the ball against the White Sox a week from today.
SPEAKER_02You know, I think I don't think the ship sailed by any stretch of the imagination. I agree. I think if he looks good, if he feels good, if the velocity looks good, if if he reports back, and this is big with Brandon Woodruff, he's very aware of where his body is at. I've talked to him a number of times and I've talked to the coaching staff, like he is the one that's kind of guiding how long he goes in a game. You know, he's very aware of it. Not every pitcher is honest and truthful about where he's at, and he will tell them if he is ready and if he can make that that extra up today. And and I actually think the ship has definitely not sailed, and I actually think the fact that he is starting today is an indication that he's probably gonna start opening day. This is me speculating a little bit, but this would make six full days off after this start before Thursday, the 26th, against the Chicago White Sox. I I definitely think that this is in play. Um, uh otherwise, what is the other option here with Brandon Woodruff? I think you know he would get eight days offers, you know, it or he would pitch you know back in the fourth game of the of the season or third. I actually think opening day is in play, and what what a what a good feel that would be for everybody, uh every Brewers fan to have Brandon Woodruff start opening day in probably his last season as a Milwaukee Brewer.
SPEAKER_00Oh, you think, yeah. I mean, they I mean they obviously they did the one-year deal, and uh if especially if he were to have a high quality year this year, then he would be in a position to be priced out of uh Milwaukee's market. Yeah, exactly. You just get it. He's gonna get paid.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, if he if he pitches well this year and his goal is to stay healthy, and that should be a goal of the Milwaukee Brewers as well, just kind of handle them with kid gloves a little bit. He is gonna get paid a lot of money to pitch uh, you know, four-year deal worth a hundred million or something. Um, so I'm I'm kind of rooting for Brandon Woodruff. There's not a better guy in baseball.
SPEAKER_00What's what's the most intriguing roster decision that Matt Arnold um is forced to make over the next few days? Uh and I I assume that that the final decisions will be made made after Tuesday's exhibition game at American Family Field because you got Wednesday as a prep day and Thursday as the opener. And we know we also let me add this, Vinny. Um opening day rosters matter to those of us who talk about it and they matter to the individual involved, but their roster is going to change, you know, from day to day and week to week, but opening day sort of matters. So, what's the most intriguing Matt Arnold decision between now and then?
SPEAKER_02Couple couple of decisions here. I think Garrett Mitchell, is he gonna be not only be the everyday starting center fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2026? Is he even gonna make the team? Now, is it more valuable for him to go down and get at bats, prove that he's healthy, prove to himself that he can stay healthy, perform well, play great defense in center field, run the bases well with really no restrictions. Now, now, if I were him, I would actually try to learn how to play with some sort of restrictions in terms of diving, sliding. So he's got to figure that out. Is that more valuable? Is that more valuable to him as a player into the organization if he is able to figure that out in triple A? There's an argument to be made there, especially with how Brandon Lockridge is playing this spring, kind of changed his swing a little bit, staying behind the ball a little more, trying to juice the ball with more power. He's certainly got it in him. He's got the strength in his hands to do so. Uh four home runs this this spring. So he's kind of changed his approach. We could see him make the team and get a lot of at-bats, especially against left-handed pitching. So that's a big one. The other one is obviously uh Luis Rengifo uh at third base, made another error yesterday. So that's kind of the big one. Like, you gotta have that lockdown infield defense. Third base is hard to play. He's played it. There's been reports for from him over the course of his major league career that he's played it just okay, maybe even a little bit below average. So they got to figure that one out. I don't think there's a roster decision to be made there, however, Mike, just because I think he they're gonna go with him. We just have to, as fans, as analysts, as media guys, we got to make sure uh and kind of monitor that that defensive prowess because he's got to figure it out uh because that is how the Brewers win baseball games pitching and defense, run prevention.
SPEAKER_00Let me go back to center field now. Uh on Lockridge leads them in home runs this spring with four. Uh, he's hit very well from an old gen stat batting average is 314. His OPS is over 1100. Uh, so he's been outstanding. Garrett Mitchell. I was talking about this uh yesterday with Jeff Levering, who joined us uh from spring training uh at the top of the show yesterday. And I brought up the limited number of at-bats that Garrett Mitchell has had the last two years because he's been rehabbing shoulder stuff for essentially two seasons. So he's had so few at-bats. So that brings up the baseball conversation. Uh dude hadn't played full-time baseball now since 2024. So does he need Nashville time in order to get his game ready and show on an everyday basis in their lineup every day that he is catching up and that the the swing and the approach at the plate and all of the other things is again major league ready because people forget about that. They just say he was got to get healthy. Well, he was also a young player to begin with. He needs he needs at bats, he needs PAs, he needs time. Is that maybe the best case scenario is to have Mitchell open and be an everyday player in Nashville and see how he adapts to being that again?
SPEAKER_02It might it it's definitely an argument to be made because yes, I think this kid, you know, although he does have immense talent, five tool talent, I think the fact that he's only get played in 141 games in parts of four last four seasons in the major leagues is is a big it's just a question mark. Uh he's you know, uh he's he has not established himself as a major league player. This is where guys it's look the old adage is it's easy to get to the big leagues, as hard as it is to get to the big leagues. It's easy to get to the big leagues, it's harder to stay in the big leagues and establish yourself as a big league player, let alone an everyday big league player. He's got the talent to do so, he has to just prove to everybody and to himself, quite frankly, that he can go ahead and and and perform every day and stay healthy. And that's going to be the key for Garrett Mitchell. If he can do that, he could be the wild card for the Brewers to go ahead and and make that run all the way to the finish line that we're hoping that they can do because the talent is there. I saw him hit first pitch of the game when I was down there against Colorado. First show that you and I did. It was a you know 450-foot home run, and Josh Maurer called it into the cacti. He used the proper plural term because I mean this is the kind of this is the kind of uh ability that he's got to hit a first pitch, nice easy swing, 450 feet dead center. I mean, not too many guys can do that while also playing great defense, can run. Uh he looks like saw him walking down the street, Mike in Colorado a couple of years ago when he was in the big leagues. I was calling those games. I was like, who is that? It looks like a D tackle for the Broncos. Like he is a big man, he's like 6'3, super athletic, super strong. Um, he is an impressive specimen, quite frankly. And if they can get him right, watch out for the Milwaukee Brewers.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's uh listen, I uh I love stories like that, reclamation projects, because he was kind of an afterthought when the Brewers got him, and who's this dude? And you kind of didn't really get used to him, and now he might he might be that guy. Let me ask you about the young, the young'uns, uh, the ones that you got to see and have paid attention to this spring. None of them are gonna break with the club. I mean, Cooper Pratt is probably gonna be in Nashville, and maybe that's already been determined. But when we're talking about my day and Pina and Cooper Pratt, and we saw Fisher uh with Team Italy, all of these guys, of them, where where were your eyes drawn uh to see them? And from a Brewer fan standpoint, how does that play out? Is it 2027? Uh is there somebody in that group that might touch the bigs and be a player in July, August, and beyond?
SPEAKER_02First question Who are my eyes drawn to? Jesus Made. Uh talk about a specimen, 18 years old. But not only that, it there was instincts for the game. There was want to get to continue to like perform and get better. Like that, you don't see you don't see that kind of presence and big league mindset. And that's what these big leaguers, these all-star types have. They they really want it. And this kid at 18, he really wanted it. You could tell my eyes were definitely drawn to Jesus Medei, potential superstar, potential superstar. Uh, Jose, he reminded me of Jose Ramirez, quite frankly. Now, I don't know if he's got those kinds of instincts, but we'll see. Like that. Uh, yeah. Um, the other, the other guy, the other question, also my eyes were drawn to the answer to the other question, which who is the guy that could potentially make an impact on this 2027 roster. It's Cooper Pratt. Yeah, um, he struggled last year with a bat, so big year for him. I think I'm almost I'm almost certain that he is going to Nashville. I mean, it's kind of a done deal. I played all year last year at Biloxi. Hard place to hit, struggled. He did hit well in the month of August. He hit 290 in the month of August. So he is starting to figure it out. He still has not gained his his man strength yet, right? I mean, he's still kind of wiry and thin. You could tell that the strength in his hands isn't quite there yet. It will come, in my opinion. Will he hit 30 homers? Probably never, but he's still developing physically. And man, can this guy play shortstop? Yeah, I didn't expect to see how good and how clean and how fluid those actions were at short because I've heard about it, I just haven't seen it in person. It was something to watch, and the ability to like show off the rifle from deep in the hole, um, and talk about instincts as well. So I think potentially, you know, I'm a Joey Ortiz believer. I really do believe in Joey Ortiz gonna have a better year. I don't think he's gonna be an all-star with the bat by any stretch, but the glove is so good. So I don't know if he's gonna move Joey off of short. I, you know, potentially if if Cooper Pratt is swinging the bat and playing great defense in Nashville, I think there could be a conversation. And then and then there's still questions about third base. Potentially you could move Joey to third and have Cooper step in and play shortstop. We'll see. I'm a believer in that kid, though. This kid is a player. 56 best prospect in Major League Baseball right now, according to MLB pipeline.
SPEAKER_00That's uh that's impressive, and the bat is what needs to follow, right? I mean, from a glove standpoint, he could probably be that guy in in the moment. Let me ask you about the division, uh, because we focus almost solely on the team that's 90 miles south uh with the Chicago Cubs, like it's a two-team deal. Is there somebody else that is in play in the division as you kind of handicap it to say, hey, keep an eye. Is it Cincinnati with a Eugenio uh Suarez coming back there? Uh Pittsburgh still hasn't made that jump, even with Skeens on that and O'Neill, but Pittsburgh hadn't made that jump. How do you see the division outside of Milwaukee, Chicago, of which we'll get to in a moment?
SPEAKER_02I do think Pittsburgh is gonna be a problem this year, especially with Connor. Connor Griffin is the number one consensus, number one prospect in all of baseball. There's some questions, and I don't know why there would be. There's some questions other as to whether he's gonna break camp with the team. He's uh is he 19, but he is a man child, he can pick it at short. Um, he hits mammoth homers, he is the full package. He is the the player that you know it's almost a consensus superstar in the making. So the fact that you know if if and when he comes up, which he should start the season an opening day, their roster or their lineup, which is a question mark the last couple of seasons, couldn't score runs, right? Last in baseball last year, second to last in baseball, and runs scored. So if they can figure out a way to score runs, they're gonna be a problem. Connor Griffin in the middle of that lineup is going to help them score runs. They also added Ryan O'Hearn, they also added uh, so he had a great year last year, Ryan O'Hearn at the at first base. They also added uh Brandon Lau from the Tampa Bay Rays, hit 30 home runs last year. So they've added a lot, yeah. They added some bats, so they're gonna be a problem, especially with Skeens, and then they have a really good rotation following Skeens. Bubba Chandler is gonna be in there. Mitch Keller's always pitched against the Brewers really well, so he's tough. So they're they're gonna be a problem, in my opinion. The other team, uh, the Reds, you know, Tito Francona always seems to get those guys to play. They have a really good pitching staff, and so I think they're gonna be an issue again. The the division at the start of the season, everyone said, okay, this division stinks. Um my goodness, like three teams in the playoffs last year, and then every team is is kind of you know making some strides and developing their young players at the big league level, and it's working out for a lot of these clubs. This is a really tough division. The Brewers, it's not gonna be a cakewalk, cakewalk, but they'll be ready and they're gonna they're gonna be challenged this year for sure.
SPEAKER_00So the uh on Pottawatomie, which is our official sports book on I love Mondays, uh, they have the Cubs in the division on the futures as plus 100. So the Cubs are the favorite in the division. The Brewers are plus 275, the Reds plus 475, and the Pirates plus 550. The Cardinals are plus 3,000, so they're down that list, all right, which we never see that and enjoy that because uh while the Cardinals suck, that's a good thing for Brewers fans uh because we're used to seeing them up near the top. So let's talk about those top two teams. The the Cubs added Bregman at third base, and if Bregman is healthy, and for some of the season last year in Boston, he was not, but if he's healthy, he's a difference maker. I mean, he's a problem. Bregman is one of the great offensive producers and a pretty darn good third baseman. He's their biggest upgrade. They lost, you know. I mean, they they lose some talent in the outfield, but he's the biggest change. Are the Cubs ready? Are they the team right now? I mean, certainly from a national perspective, they're the team.
SPEAKER_02They are I I think the brew, I think the Brewers are the team in the central. I I I think well, I here's the thing. I think the Cubs also were projected to outright win the division last year. Remember, yes, P. Crow Armstrong was uh MVP the first two months of the season. Yeah, the league figured him out. He still has yet to prove that he's able to make the adjustment. If he if he stinks again um for stretches, for long stretches this season, which is a very real possibility, he has problems not chasing pitches outside the zone. So the the league kind of figured him out. Let's just go ahead and throw breaking balls that bounce 10 feet in front of home plate and he'll swing at it. That's kind of the the book is out on that kid. Let's see if he makes the adjustment back. If he does, okay, we can have that conversation about that. Kyle Tucker was also a huge problem in the middle of the Cubs uh uh lineup last year. They lose him, right? So Bregman, you add Bregman, and and if that's okay, I would argue that Bregman's a very good offensive player. However, now he does most of his damage to the pull side. Remember, Wrigley wind has been blowing in a bunch these last few seasons, where now all of a sudden it's become a pitcher's park. So we'll see if Bregman's numbers translate at Wrigley. Good. Player, not not taking anything away from him. Uh, but the fact that Tucker's gone and Pete Crow Armstrong has been bad. The last that last half of the season, he was bad. And um, I don't know if the Cubs are gonna be that good, quite frankly.
SPEAKER_00Let me add this into that play about Bregman Crawford boxes in Houston and the monster in Boston. People don't think of this. Uh, in Chicago, most of the power comes to the gaps because it is playable for a hitter in the gaps, from but it's 355 uh to the basket when the the wall cuts out down the line and left. Well, 355 in Boston is out onto the road, right? You know, in Chicago, it's caught on that big warning track in front of the basket. So I think I think you make a good point. Crawford boxes in Fenway are different than down the line in Wrigley.
SPEAKER_02100%. And that's how Bregman's made his money. That's how he has been a great player and taking nothing away from him, but it's that pull side approach where he's trying to just he's trying to duck hook some things down the line. And and I think this is gonna be an issue for Bregman. And I think he's gonna, you know, have a nice solid season. Michael Bush scares me more than anybody in that lineup. He really took off. Um, but I I think the Cubs, and then they added Edward Cabrera, Justin Steele coming back. Now that's first year off of Tommy John. Is he gonna be any good? So their pitching has some question marks again. Uh their bullpen, they added a bunch of arms. They signed five free agents for their bullpen. So I don't think it's a done deal. And I'm actually surprised that the national, you know, kind of projections are are picking the Cubs to really dominate the the division. I think it's gonna be a lot closer. It's gonna be a dogfight all the way to the end with all four of those teams. And thank goodness the Cardinals think. You know why? Because the Cardinals are like Vikings fans to me. I don't mind Bears fans, I hate Vikings fans, and I also hate Cardinals fans. So that's my hot take of the day, Mike. And you know, you know, you're not a hot take of the day.
SPEAKER_00I mean, shoot, you have a little, I mean, there's a lot of lot of uh Chicago Bears fans in racing, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, we've rub elbows and I'm friends with a lot of them, and it's it's a fun rivalry. It's the Bears and Packers now. I think it's a heated rivalry, but it's fun as long as no one's beating each other up in the stands. I actually think it's fun, and I also love the Brewers Cubs rivalry, I think it's super fun. Look, it makes us feel like really competitive with our rival to the south. I I I love it, I absolutely love it. I I yeah, Vikings. We can I love just beating the tar out of the Vikings from here on out, and then same thing, I feel the same way about the Cardinals, they're just a little snobby, you know. That's that's my take.
SPEAKER_00Let me let me finish on this. Um, for our TV uh fans, um they understand and and they're they're banging down the door trying to find information. There's no information, but there will be before the season opening game next Thursday on cable. And though the streaming is there, right? So the streaming is that's already out there. If you want to stream all the Brewers games, uh Brewers.tv, right? I mean, that the stream is there, but even you don't know what the cable channel will be right now, seven days out from the first game that's on TV.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, uh and how and everyone's probably thinking, well, why? Yeah, and I'm thinking why too. But I was told that these negotiations between, let's say, Spectrum or whoever your cable provider is, there's a negotiation that goes on with how much they have to pay for the rights to broadcast those games or to put them over the air. So yeah, that's the hang up. Um, I and I've heard some of those negotiations go on right up until the first game is played, so they'll get it done. We just we just don't know what channel it's gonna be. So hopefully we can figure that out soon. And because yeah, I need to watch the game too. I'm actually I've not worked in those those the first series, so I I need to watch the game somewhere. I'll I'll stream it if I can. So yeah, we'll see.
SPEAKER_00All right, so you so on that opening series, you're not uh pre-game or post either. You're you're uh you're like me watching them and uh figuring out where to go.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna watch them. Uh in fact, my daughters have spring break, and my wife and I are gonna take our daughters uh for a few days down into some warm weather, and we we kind of need it. So so I asked for that first series off. I'll be working that second series against uh Tampa for free and post.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know where it's really warm right now? Phoenix. Uh we're looking for warm weather. Yeah, yeah. Might head down there. Hey, Vinny, I love doing this. I appreciate you uh spending the extra time with us today. Can't wait. It's my favorite time of year because the tournament kicks off, and I can see the start of Major League Baseball season now, seven days away uh with exhibition games Monday and Tuesday. So much to talk about. Appreciate your time with us and look forward to it every week.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, of course, Mike. Likewise, and go badgers, go brewers, and you know, go team cheese. We're part of Team Cheese.
SPEAKER_00There you go. Yeah, very good. Thank you, Vinny. Appreciate you. Uh Vinny Rettino joining us uh as he does every Thursday on I Love Mondays with Mike Heller. And his time here brought to you by Pottawatomi Sports Book and Casino. There was one other note I wanted to make on Pottawatomi. Two weeks ago, when I had uh Vinny on the show, I talked about how much I'm enamored with who I think Bryce Tarang can be this year. At Pottawatomi on the futures line, he is 10,000 to one to win the National League MVP. So think about$100 being$100,000 because that's what that is. If you I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna put a bill,$100, on Bryce Tarang to win the National League most valuable player. And if he does, it's$100,000. I think Bryce Tarang is poised to be a star player now. I think his time is now. So I just listen, a little shout out to our friends at Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino. Bet above the rest, what a place that is to be today, or tomorrow, or Saturday or Sunday with the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. But just think of the futures bet on Bryce as a National League MVP. Whew. Big dollars. Um, I will uh have my tops for the day. There are there are a couple of things. I got a tops and a bottom. I don't always have a bottom, but my tops is uh Miami, Ohio. There is no of, they dropped the of. Uh they were undefeated until they lost early in their conference tournament. And they were a bubble team. And they got in, and the committee said, Yeah, we're gonna put you in, but we're gonna put you in as an 11, and you gotta play on Wednesday night in Dayton. So they kind of gave them a home game. They won last night. So they're into the field now in earnest. And I got news for you. If you want to check the history of this, uh be my guest. But 11s that play their way into the tournament have gotten through the opening weekend. So South Florida is an 11. VCU is an 11. Miami, Ohio is an 11 who played. So think of Miami or Texas as an 11 that played on Tuesday and Wednesday night in Dayton, as teams that might be teams that can move forward. So Texas gets BYU. BYU, Wisconsin saw them earlier this year. They have one of the great players in the country, but they also lost a great player to injury ACL that's out. So maybe Texas BYU. The other maybe is Miami, Ohio against Tennessee, who's the sixth seed. 11s that play in Dayton have had some success rolling forward. Also, this is the bottoms because I that was great watching Miami last night, and they play, they play really connected team basketball. They get backdoor cuts, they get open threes, they play connected team basketball. You don't go 31 and 0 or whatever they were before they lost their first game. And then the other uh rub here is the 512, and that's what Wisconsin is. This is my bottoms, and I open the show this way. If you're if you're talking about your team on a four or five seed line opening the tournament on Thursday, as Wisconsin is as a five, opening today, it's nothing but scary. Because the tournament can be stolen from you out of the gate, and it happens. We know 12s beat fives. So here's what I'm rooting for today. Let's go Northern Iowa. Well, I mean, opening round of the tournament. Let's go northern Iowa. They're a five. Northern Iowa as a five. Let's have them beat St. John's. Let's go McNeese State as a 12. Let's have them beat Vanderbilt. McNeese State as a 12. Let's have them beat Vanderbilt. Now, my um my daughter Morgan and my son-in-law Zeke aren't gonna love that because Zeke's a Vandy guy. Uh let's go Akron over Texas Tech. 12 versus 5. Those are the three. I want one of those three, maybe two of them. Two of those 12s to win. So I'm rooting hard in this opening round for Akron, rooting hard in this opening round for Northern Iowa, rooting hard for McNeese. And I'm not rooting for high point. Because if that happens, that's bottoms. I don't like that. That's what the opening round of the NCAA tournament will do to you. Malcahee uh shouting out Team Cheese, because Vinny threw out a team cheese at the end of his time here. His time here brought to you by Pottawatomese Sportsbook and Casino Bet Above the Rest. Can't wait. I'm so jacked about this, so excited. I love the NCAA tournament. So, those of you watching live on YouTube, thank you. Share it with your friends, share it with uh people you don't like, even because they deserve something good. Uh, share this so people uh will jump in and watch live on YouTube or watch live on Twitter X. If you're not watching live, if you're downloading and getting it wherever you get your podcasts, please also share that. Uh we're we're hoping that that this grows. We we want it to grow. I love doing this, and I want to continue to bring in great guests tomorrow on the program, I believe, although I haven't figured it out yet. Nick Osen will join me, I think, tomorrow from Port Portland. So he he'll be an NG, a new guy. Um, we'll see if uh Butchy can jump in too. Hopefully, some of this will be dependent on Wisconsin winning because if they don't, they come home uh and that's a different deal. And then um, I believe we're gonna talk a little bourbon tomorrow. So let's see this. Uh let's go to camera two. Camber two, right behind me, right there, is a bottle of uh Jay Henry bourbon. And I believe Joe Henry Jr., who's now running that company, I think he's gonna join me tomorrow at the end. We'll spend maybe the last 15 minutes having a discussion of bourbon. Another one of my passions, but I don't know. He knows. He's a master distiller. So he gets it. And I'm hoping to talk in it uh to talk to Joe tomorrow. So we'll spend time talking about Badger Hoops tomorrow on I Love Mondays with an NG, new gangster. Nick Osen is the scheduled guy. If I can't get Nick Osen, I'll get Nick Bruzewitz. We're gonna get a Nick tomorrow, and then hopefully Joe Henry of J. Henry and Sons Bourbon uh will join us tomorrow as well. Relax, Mike. It is uh it's just tournament basketball. That's all it is, just tournament basketball. I want to say thank you to our uh our friends who helped to bring the show to you. And that's our friends at Neuroscience Group. They're a presenting sponsor. Our friends at M3 Insurance, m3ins.com is where you go. Neurosciencegroup.com is where you go there. Also brought to you brought to you, especially on Thursdays with Vinny by Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino, and always brought to you by Habish, Habish and Rotier. Let's go today, Wisconsin with their shot in the tournament. So much to get to, so much fun to be had. Hope you enjoy the opening day of the NCAA basketball tournament. We will talk tomorrow. We'll have plenty to look back on. Enjoy the Thursday. We'll talk to you Friday on I Love Mondays, so confusing, with Mike Heller right here, the podcast.
SPEAKER_03I love Mondays with Mike Heller.