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-Ep58, May 20, 2026
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Another Brewers win...and into 1st place over the Cubs. We revel in the greatness that is "the Miz" right now and talk about the possibility of a sweep. Guest insight from Wisconsin State Journal Columnist Jim Polzin... and a LIVE visit with AmFam Championship Host-Steve Stricker
I love Mondays with my help.
SPEAKER_01Podcasting 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_00Hey, welcome in as we continue uh a week-long process on the road. Again, coming to you early from Scottsdale, Arizona. It's eight in the morning here on the time difference. And we have more to celebrate today. This is another good day. And the best thing about what the Brewers are doing of late is that it's really good baseball. They the offensive lineup is now essentially intact. There's not much that the Brewers are missing from an injury standpoint. They're as good offensively from a health standpoint as they're going to be and have been all year. So they're producing runs, not it's not an extraordinary volume, but uh Ben Brown was the Chicago Cubs starting pitcher last night. And he had been a spot starter for two straight and it allowed nothing in two four-inning starts. He had allowed nothing. And last night the Brewers kind of beat him up, and they beat him up consistently. And then Jacob Mizurowski, as listening to uh Captain Hood on ESPN Chicago this morning, I just want to get a perspective of where they are. They're already floating the idea of cutting ties with Jed Hoyer and his Craig Council's time in Chicago done. It's like, oh man. It's this isn't complicated right now. The the Cubs the Cubs sit in the moment a half game out of first place. They have a 29 and 20 record. So when you start to extrapolate out who they are just from a the grand scheme of what does this season look like in Chicago, I get it. When when teams go through lulls and they've now lost eight of ten, they had won twenty of twenty-three and now they've lost eight of ten. But if I if I just look at the entire uh standings in major league baseball, the best record, could you guess, by the way? I don't know how I guess I don't know how I interact with you. Could you guess without looking who has the best record in Major League Baseball? My guess is you can't that that you would get this wrong. Right now, it's the Tampa Bay Rays. They are 32 and 15. They are playing 681 baseball. Their winning percentage is 681. So I didn't do this in advance because I probably should have. 681 is on pace to win 110 games. Is Tampa winning 110 games? I don't think so, but they're they're the best record in baseball. Followed by the Atlanta Braves, who are 33 and 16. The Dodgers 30 and 19. The Yankees 30 and 19. Then the Brewers 28 and 18. Only Tampa has fewer losses than the Brewers. They have 15. Uh Tampa and Atlanta, 15 and 16. Brewers have the third fewest losses in baseball that they played three or four fewer games than some others. The point of this is that the Cubs at 29 and 20 have uh the seventh best record, eighth best record in baseball. And they're talking, at least floating the idea. Boy, if this didn't turn around, are you gonna what do you mean turn around? They're nine games over 500. Okay, enough of them. I fell down that little trap of talking about uh the Cubs rather than talking about what matters here. Let me go through the uh morning well wishes. Uh James, good Wednesday morning to everybody. Mike from Merrill says, good morning, all a little sunshine, a little rain going on there. Uh Mark Benson says, Happy hump day, go brew crew. Uh, my guy, uh Michael Olson. Uh, hey bud, what's going on? He uh he's flying the L, as we should. Um that's appropriate to me. Uh and Mike's Mike and Merrill also says, keep tacking it on. And then uh this guy is familiar with where I am uh doing the show from in Scottsdale. Uh Zach says, good morning, Mike. Difference in demeanor between counsel and Murphy is striking. Counsel always looks stressed, and he always has. Um and I try not to dive too deep into the body language police because it it's all different types, right? Some managers never have their expression change, and some are demonstrative and in and after everything. Managers, coaches, bench coaches. I I think the one that's most obvious there is when you get a college basketball coach. You know, a guy like Shaka Smart or Tom Crean, I brought it two Marquette guys, they were all over the place. All over the place. Shaka still is, obviously. There are others. Bo was in between, very demonstrative as it came to the officials, but he wasn't running up and down the sideline and you know getting in defensive position. And then Greg Guard hardly ever changes anything. You can win being any of those guys. You you can win being being different. But I get it. When when the team loses, when Craig was in, when Craig Council was in Milwaukee and they would lose and get into a losing mode, people would just jump out of the woodwork and say, that guy is just wound too tight and his team is wound too tight. Yeah, I don't know. Listen, we love we have learned to love who Pat Murphy is. He's very honest. I think he manages in and deals with media and says things in front of the media that other people just don't say. He's he's wired differently. The point of all of this and and some of the uh inflection points of who the the Brewers are right now, and Jacob Mizorowski. So Milwaukee gets the win last night, and Ms. was brilliant. Now he only went six innings, and his his adrenaline velocity wasn't as great. Now, there's this. There was a uh an issue with the the landing foot on the mound last night that Miz kind of dealt with. I I've I'm older than some of you. I I the first thing that jumps into my head when I'm seeing that is they did something different with the mound. Like their grounds crew manipulated a little bit of what's going on. Now, some people are gonna say, are you kidding me? No, I'm not kidding you. That stuff happens. I can it's a podcast, I can swear. That shit happens all the time at significant levels of the game where money is a significant factor. You can't tell me that it doesn't happen. I've been around long enough to see that it does. So, did they do something a little bit different on the mound last night? Plant foot, lead foot. So that stride foot for Miz, his left foot at the landing area was uncomfortable, not firm, slippery. He said less about it post-game. Uh, he said it's not a big deal. And but Murphy brought it up. Murphy said, Well, velocity was down. He was struggling on that mound a little bit. The mound wasn't quite right. And I have no doubt that something was done there. That's that's the way people operate. That's the way franchises operate, not just the Cubs, but it but it happens in baseball. That's why they sometimes on fast teams they extra water that area that leads from first base so that you can't get a great jump because your foot's gonna slip a little bit. Or they do something a little bit different in the batter's box or right in front of home plate where that's watered down extra. They don't cut the grass sometimes for multiple days on teams that have um some speed, so the ball won't get through the infield. Stuff happens all the time. Point of it is this Ms. average four-seen fastball last night was 99.9 miles an hour. So it's down. He topped out at 1015, not 1036. We're talking about two miles an hour on top end fastball last night. He because he's thrown at 104, 103.6, rounded up. Last night he topped out at 101.5. IBA FM 101.5. Uh he topped out at 101.5. Average fastball was 99.9. Here's the the the hard to believe numbers on Ms. The last time he gave up an extra base hit was May 9, it was April 19th. It's May 20th. That was six starts ago. He hasn't given up a bloop double. No home runs, no triples, no doubles, hasn't given up an extra base hit in 114 batters. Miz is the only pitcher in the modern era to have a four-start span with 30 strikeouts, no runs, and no extra base hits allowed. So pretty good. Last night, six innings, three hits. He's now gone. Well, I thought I had it written. Yeah, he's now gone 24 and a third scoreless. The Brewers' record is Teddy Higueira, 32 consecutive scoreless innings. That was team streak in 1987. So all of that, and it's all good stuff. And the Brewers are in first place. So they took over first place last night with that win. The Brewers have won eight of 10. The Cubs have lost eight of 10. And the the Brewers running this game. You remember we I've talked about this. I'm going to bring it up every day. They had an 18-game stretch that started with the Yankees, Padres, Twins at the Cubs, which they're in now. Then the Dodgers come to Milwaukee and St. Louis. That 18-game run against a murderer's row of records in Major League Baseball. Right now, the Brewers are 9-2 in the run. 3-0 against the Yankees, 2-1 against the Padres, 2-1 against the Twins, 2-0 against the Cubs. They'll wrap tonight in Chicago, Kyle Harrison and Edward Cabrera in that. Then the Dodgers will come to town after the Brewers have an off day tomorrow. But in that 18-game run that everybody was going to worry about, freak out is a little strong, but worried about certainly. All right, let me uh thank our sponsors, One Community Bank. They've got an event going on tonight I want to tell you about because you can still sign up. Go to the uh onecommunity.bank for their virtual first-time homebuyer seminar to gain some insight into home buying process. That is tonight, 6.30. Uh, experts there will guide you through each step of purchasing a home and available to answer questions. Go to onecommunity.bank to learn more and to RSVP. We're also presented by M3 Insurance, your independent and privately held insurance broker and risk management firm with world-class leverage resources and a specialized team to protect and grow your business. Visit M3INS.com. Also brought to you by our friends at Neuroscience after a car accident, workplace injury, or sports concussion. Getting the right care matters. Their comprehensive concussion program brings together specialists focusing on helping you heal and get back to what you love, neurosciencegroup.com. And brought to you by our friends at Pottawatomy Sportsbook and Casino. Bet above the rest, tic-tac home run going on. Have a barrel of fun with your share of 300 grand. Play with a Pottawatomy rewards card now through May 28th. 40 winners every Thursday night. And we're also presented 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, busy show uh today. Uh Steve Stricker will join us live on the program in about 20 minutes or so. Jim Polzina, the Wisconsin State Journal, is standing by now. I add Jimmy to the program. Hey Jim, thanks for doing this. How are you?
SPEAKER_04Good. How are you? Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_00Uh pretty good. Uh this is uh let me start where where I kind of began the show. Um, paying attention, and I get where we are on the calendar. We're just past the quarter pole of games in Major League Baseball. But every year we seem to say, are you are you surprised? And every year we shouldn't be surprised anymore at how good, and they are good, and right now the a good team playing great. The Brewers are just uh they continue to to do what the Brewers do.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I'm not surprised, and I think I've learned my lesson uh over the years not to doubt this franchise because they have a plan and they stick to it. And Pat Murphy is the same guy uh every day and every year, and they have built around him uh players who buy into the grind. They they just they love the grind, they they wrap their arms around the grind, and that's how you get through a 162-game season. Like I thought even before this stretch, I heard you talking about you know this crucial 18-game stretch. I really thought the important part was that they kept their heads above water when they had some of their biggest bats out of the lineup, you know, to still kind of be in the mix after that early stretch where you weren't going with the lineup you thought you were. Um, I thought that was important just to get to this, get to this moment, get Churio and Yelich and those guys back. So yeah, I'm not surprised. I'm I'm I refuse to be surprised anymore.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Murph changes his lineup every day. He has not run out the same lineup in a single game this year. He's not had a replicated lineup. But for quite a while there, they didn't have essentially what I would call their two three-four hitters in Churio, Yelich, and Vaughn. You take two, three, four out of any lineup in baseball, and it's gonna be different. And they survived that, which I think is, you know, to your point, really impressive. And that's not to mention pitchers. No Quinn Priester, no Woodruff for a bunch of this. They're their number two and three starters. If Miz is your one and he is, uh then they're your two and three. And then out of the bullpen, no Jared Kaning, no Angel Zerpa, who was expected to be a leverage guy this year. So there's a lot of that, and yet what they still do is is go and and pay it off at the pay window and continue to win.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, even if you look at their bullpen, your rebay wasn't as good as we expected early. Um so you know, I wrote about this on opening day. I really thought the key to this season was some of those young arms and how they'd come along. And I maybe expected a little bit of a um some growing pains early on. Yeah, Pearson's been good, really good, right? Uh Brandon Sprout has been electric at times and has been pretty solid. So those guys have come along maybe faster than I thought they would have. And I think that's allowed them, allowed this team to kind of be where it is right now. And Miz is Miz. Like, I just yeah, we all know there's greatness in there and the potential for greatness. We've seen it, you know, last year we saw it. Um, he's been even better than I imagined, and and now you just kind of knock on wood and hope he stays healthy because he is as dominant of a pitcher as they've had in quite some time, and yet he still has a lot to learn.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it is a very good story. And I I had uh David Kaplan on from ESPM 1000 in Chicago at the beginning of the week. Uh, we're in a great place from a rivalry standpoint with the city of Chicago. Uh obviously, Packers, Bears has a ton of juice to it right now, and that's the and the two coaches don't like one another, and they're both very good teams. So there's juice there. And the Brewers Cubs have had this running for a while now. Now there's not much Bucks Bulls, but that's just a different deal. Um, but we're in a a heck of a place for rivalry right now with the city of Chicago, which is great for what you and I do.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, no, I love it. This rivalry, let's let's talk about the Bears Packers, first of all. Yeah, that rivalry will never go away, but it's at its best when both teams are really good or yeah, contenders, right? Um, and ditto for the Cubs and Brewers. And I'd add this if the Cardinals can keep this up, um, it makes for a really spicy summer with with those three teams. Um, if that can be a battle for first place, um, you know, in in the NL Central, because you know, the Cardinals haven't been the Cardinals of late. So if it's those three uh battling into August and September, I love it. You know, sign me up.
SPEAKER_00Jim, let's get uh a couple of updates. Uh, I don't think there has been anything of significance from an update standpoint on Wisconsin and their hunt for an athletic director and how that's gonna play out. What can you share? What is new, if anything, on in that model?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, the the new old news was the selection committee. Um those names coming out. I mean, I think there's, you know, I I think the thing I wonder, and I I would I would love to talk to either Lauren Bishop, who's the leading that committee, um, or Eric Wilcotts when he finally talks, is what does the selection committee do um exactly? Um, how how often do they get together? Uh what's what's the work look like behind the scenes? And then, you know, how do they narrow down the list to get it to Eric Wilcott's and and and and what does he want? You know, what what I can sit here and tell you what I think they should hire in terms of uh the type of person or what the characteristics are, but I'm interested to know what what he wants. And um, you know, it's it's it's I spend a lot of time thinking about this. I haven't written a ton on it because I just think there's it's such a it's such a weird time with no permanent chancellor. Um I wonder whether that will uh keep some people from going for the job. I mean, that's the one thing I worry about. Um, and yet the idea of waiting is is tricky too, because you need to make a hire, you need you need someone who plays for the fall. So um I don't know if I answered your question. I I I don't I I think one one thing I'll say is this that I think I know about it. Um I think it's gonna go relatively fast, and and I don't know that I would have predicted that, but I I I I I talked to someone who who wants to be in the race, um, and he thinks that they'll hire someone by July 1st and have that person in place by August 1st, which is a pretty quick timeline considering you know it took a month to get this committee together, and and that's a lot to do between now and July 1st. So um, you know, it's possible that in the next 40 days, uh, we'll know who's leading this uh department going forward at a really crucial time.
SPEAKER_00Jim, why isn't Barry Alvarez on the committee? Uh it might he have turned them down, or is he just not named on the committee? Do you think he's part of the process at all?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, good question. I I mean there's a couple ways I can go. I don't know if he wanted to be. I really don't. I haven't talked to him in a couple weeks. And I talked to him after Chris stepped down, um, but didn't ask if he wanted to be part of it. I would think he would be part of it somehow. There's enough people on that committee that certainly know him. I would think that someone would pick his brain at some point, but will he will he have a say? Uh quote unquote. I I don't know that to be the case. I think you can make the case for he backed Chris McIntosh the last time, and maybe that's a reason for just kind of going in a different direction and letting um letting a new group and a new um set of people kind of lead this charge going forward. Um, I don't know that to be the case, but you know, he he did back Mac last time, and I don't think that worked out per particularly well.
SPEAKER_00Do you do you think Barry's uh hurt or disappointed uh in the way Mac handled that role in his time in it?
SPEAKER_04That's a good question. I thought you were gonna ask me if I was just if I thought he was disappointed that he left it. And I guess I can only go by what I think Barry's been on a couple interviews, and it seemed like if you read into it, if you read through the lines, if you listen to his voice, it seemed like there was disappointment there. A little bit like when Brett Vielama left, right?
SPEAKER_03Sure.
SPEAKER_04Um I don't know. Barry Barry's in a tough spot. I don't know that he can speak his mind and say, I think this place is worse off than what it was five years ago. I don't know. I mean, that would that would
SPEAKER_00Be me speculating and right, but but I think it's it is right. I mean, uh that's a fairly easy conclusion to look at it and say that they are not in as good a place as they were five years ago. I think that's a simple yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04I can say that I can certainly say that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we can say it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, no, I I think I think that's a fair assessment. I I would say this, Mike. Um, and this is not to make a defense, but I think it's to be to be fair and balanced here. It's this is the hardest time ever to be an athletic director, right? I I think I think that's the challenge. You have to at least give a little bit of grace to Chris McIntosh. But do I think this place is in a better spot than it was five years ago? No, I don't think that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I this will be, I think, uh actually a productive season, uh, but it certainly will be an interesting season. And it's a uh it's the fork in the road uh that Wisconsin football faces this year, because if it if it turns left, we'll, you know, which I'm gonna call good, uh, we'll be happy. If it goes the other way, then this new athletic director um is gonna be charged with finding a new coaching staff. And I don't know that anybody wants that. I mean, I would think that if you're a fan of Wisconsin athletics, nobody wants that. You want success. And if it's with Luke Fickle, great. This is that year that determines which path that you're gonna take.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, the thing I worry about, Mike, is um there are there are you get to that path and there are obvious answers, I think. You know, like nine wins, I think, is a continue on this down this path. Um, five wins is a let's get off this path. Right. It's the it's the murder middle that I yeah. What do you seven and five, six and six? Um, seven and five with this schedule is a to me the bare minimum, right? Like this, this is a this is a you have to win seven games with this schedule. If you can't do that, I then I think you've got a big problem. The other thing that will continue to be a problem here, or at least a consideration, is the buyout, while it shrinks every year, is I think still at this point um at the end of the season, still in the 20 million range. That's that's a lot of money to pay off for a school that um is is talking about how unsustainable college athletics are right now and and how that is asking for 14.6 million from taxpayers, right? It's just it's a tough thing to then go into um the foundation and that that that rainy day fund sitting there and pull 20 million dollars out or whatever it would take to buy out Luke 50.
SPEAKER_00To kind of illustrate your point, uh I want to play out a scenario of eight and four because some people say eight and four. This there you go. You're you're good. What if the eight and four is a loss against Notre Dame, a loss against Penn State, a loss against USC, and a loss against Iowa? That means that your wins are Western Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, and Minnesota. Now, all on the number side, right, eight and four looks good, especially where you've been. But on the quality side, you'd look at that and go, you didn't beat anybody again. You lost again to Iowa, you lost at home against USC, you lose to Penn State with a new coach in their Big Ten opener, and you lost to Notre Dame. There's no hang your hat on a win. And right now, if you live in that world where Washington and Illinois last year are your hang your hat wins, it's for a lot of people, Jim, that's not good enough.
SPEAKER_04No, it's it won't be good enough for a lot of fans and and and and fans who have can kind of at this time every year sit and say, Am I going to buy season tickets for the next year? Which is you know a big revenue driver. Um, I do wonder if eight and four is enough, though, from a can you sell that to hey, we we took a big step, we we doubled our win total. Um, let's give them a fifth year, and and maybe we're trending in the right direction. And going back to my previous answer, you're not then paying $20 million buyout. Um, but it really comes down to Mike, like we can sit here and analyze this. It comes down to who is the next person, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_04Does the next person have somebody in mind? Can the next person convince Eric Wilcott's um that hey, it's time to make a change. Um, you gave me this job, let me do it. And and it just comes down to who that person is. And I I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Jim, uh, let's let's uh flip up and talk a little bit about the the Green Bay Packers and the NFL. So the NFL has uh forwarded out this international game growth concept, um, which has been approved. Um and if it if indeed they roll forward in that way, and it looks like they're going to, that every team would play an international game every year. Uh the NFL is the most successful uh sports franchise in America. Uh so they continue to move in this direction. Do you like what they're doing? And Packers will play a Wednesday game and a Friday game this year. They're gonna play on Christmas, um Christmas Day, they're gonna play on the night before Thanksgiving. So that it continues to expand out. We're moving to a subscription-based television model. There are more and more games in that way. Are we uh are we okay? Are they doing it slow enough? Are they, you know, what's this process look like to you?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, uh you said subscription based. That's where my mind was gonna go because um, and listen, I'm getting to be an older guy, but I also have a lot of older voices in my head of you know, uh a mother and and subscribers who are kind of you know in that age range where they just don't want to buy multiple stream services. I think that's the bother, is that how many different it used to be so easy, um, and now you need different streaming services to to see your favorite team play. So that's that's the that's the struggle on my end. I mean, and that's trickling down to the college, certainly, is that TV runs the world and and dates and times don't make sense for the casual fan or even the ticket buying fan. Um, that's a hard thing to get past, and yet it's hard if you're a professional organization or Big Ten to turn down the money that you're getting from um these companies because they have a lot of money to throw around. So, you know, I uh going back to your original point, I like the idea of growing the game. I think that's that's always good. And and one way to grow the game internationally is to put it in front of those people. Um, you know, don't make them come to you, go to them. So I understand the logic, and certainly the more places you can get over there and get your product in front of them, it certainly makes sense to me. The rest of us kind of have to adapt to some degree, and and that's you know, I don't love that, but I understand it from a business perspective. It's just sports has become sports has always been a business, it's just become even more and more of a business. Like I just I wrote something this morning talking to Greg Gard um about he he he's pushing for a 40-game regular season in college basketball right now. It's at 32, that's a big step up. And his point is we're trying to make more revenue, right? Well, we need more games, we need more inventory. Inventory is the word he used, and it's like, wow, that's where we're at. But I I get it. Like, if you're a coach, you're a CEO, you're trying to make money, you're trying to survive, and that's that's where we're at.
SPEAKER_00Are we uh are we leaning towards the end? Uh one other question before I let you go. Are we gonna lean towards the end of the college football um conference championship game and the Big Ten and conference basketball tournaments with the expansion of the full tournament uh and the expansion of the college football playoff? Are we into its last couple of years or maybe last year of a conference championship in college football?
SPEAKER_04The tough thing with that, Mike, is the reason it was invented in the first place is that it's such a moneymaker. And I think I think you I you gotta separate those two to some degree. Um the the NCA tournament hasn't grown enough yet. I mean, it's only at 76 only, um, that I think the college, the the the Big Ten tournament and the conference tournaments are still valuable. If in 2032, I believe, when the con when the tele television um contract comes up again, if that tournament gets bigger, if it gets in the 96 range, I'm just throwing out a number, yeah. Then I think you have to have a discussion about are these conference tournaments even even worth it? Because you're gonna have to spread this tournament over four weekends instead of three. Yeah. Um, college football, the the conference title game, I think, is a discussion worth having, especially if you go to 24 teams. Um, it just such it gets to be such a long schedule.
SPEAKER_00I mean, some of these teams are gonna be playing NFL type aren't playing for anything in their conference championship game. It might hurt them more than help them to have to play that game.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. I mean, that's that's that's been a problem. Um it's it's minor, more of a minor problem, but an 18 team 18 team league getting down to the final two when you're not playing uh an equal schedule. Um, it it's you don't always have the best two teams in those things. So yeah, it's it's it's just kind of messy, but I'll go back to what I said initially is that Fox is hosting the Big Ten title game. They're paid a lot of money to have that game. A lot of people are still watching. It's tough to turn down that money.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh Jim Polzine, hey, thanks for doing this. I appreciate it. Uh, I hope you had a good time away. Uh, I know you got a chance to travel a little bit. Good to get it refreshed. Uh, good to see you and visit with you. We'll do it again soon.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, my pleasure, Mike. Take care.
SPEAKER_00Thank you, Jim Polzine. Uh joining us. And while while he steps out, I'm just waiting for them to lock in. Um, and and I see him backstage, so I'm just making sure Steve is good to go. And uh, we'll add Steve into the mix here. Uh hello, Steve Stricker. How are you? Hi, Mike. How you doing, buddy? I'm good, man. Um, thanks for doing this. You're kind of doing a little bit of the car wash today with uh Ampham Media Day, and it's uh it it I'll just begin here because I think this is the question that that is number one on my mind. Uh, where are you health wise? Um, what do you I've seen you over at the chipping area working on the short side of the game, but where are you from a playing standpoint here just a couple of weeks out?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, mainly short game stuff so far. Uh yesterday I hit some wedges and some nine irons, maybe about six nine irons. Uh it's starting to feel a little bit stronger. Um, it's kind of wait and see every day kind of thing yet, but I'm working towards uh making sure that I can play for sure in a couple weeks. Uh I don't know what kind of game I'll have. You know, I'm gonna maybe have to rely on my partner a lot, but um, I'm looking forward to getting back out there. It's been a while. Um, you know, it's uh yeah, I've missed the comp competition and and the ability to get out there and play for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and just to back it up for those who aren't familiar, you had um a hip replacement, and then you had uh you had a little issue with that uh where you were trending in the right direction, but then had a little setback on an injury there. Is that the a fair way to paint the picture?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, the hip replacement went really well. I had played golf two 18-hole rounds back, I think in March when we had those uh really a couple days of a warm spell. I went down and played an Edgerton 18 holes at Tom Club, and then I played over at the Oaks 18 holes, and I was supposed to play uh actually about five or six weeks ago. I was gonna, you know, try to play there down in Florida, and uh I was working towards that, and and then ended up pulling a muscle on the same hip that I got replaced. Um it didn't do anything to the replacement part. Um, that all was okay, but the muscle has been literally a pain to come back from. And you know, the doctor's like, hey, don't do that again, otherwise you're gonna be out for even longer. Um, so that's been really slow to come back. I still got a lot of tightness there, which kind of gives me a little bit um of the willies, to be quite honest with you, because I was just when I when I when I did it, uh I was hitting balls up here at TPC and I was hitting like little 80-yard wedges when I pulled the muscle. It wasn't even like I was taking a driver swing. So that that's concerning. Uh, so I'm just taking as slow as I can and hopefully um cram for this test that's coming up in a couple weeks.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. From uh from the tournament standpoint, from the Am Fam Championship, you you went to this format, the the team two-man format, when you flipped over to TPC a year ago. This is the second year of doing that. You you've had kind of a a year to mull that over, and I think it was successful last year. I think you guys thought it was successful. How does that play itself forward, Steven? How do you make those decisions?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it was very successful. Um, we heard it from both the fans, uh, the players, also, you know, everybody involved, the course, the volunteers. Um, it was a different venue. Um the players loved it. Um, a new course to uh to learn, to get to know. Uh, and the format suits this course very well. You know, I mean, where it's there's a lot of risk reward here. Um, you know, there's hazards um that you got to navigate, as you know. And it's just uh we all do. Yeah, um, so it's it's uh it's a good format for this course. The players love it, and it shows in the field that's coming here again this year. You know, the top players are coming, they're excited to come here as well.
SPEAKER_00How have you like if you step back and and look at it for you? How has this tournament worked out from it's it from the inception uh of you combining with Ampfamp to say, hey, let's do this and put the wheels in motion? Um, what is your perspective on where this tournament has come from, where it is today, and what the future looks like?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, great question. You know, I think uh I got that question a lot here today, but I think it's the the money's raised, you know, through these 10, 11 years that we've been in existence, you know, nearly 22 million that has gone back to local charities, half of that going to uh the American Children's Hospital or American Family Children's Hospital. Um, you know, that that brings a smile to all of our faces. Um that's why we got into this business to start with. When I went to Jack Salzweedle, the former former CEO of American Family Insurance. Uh, we we tried to come up with a way to raise money for local charities, and this is what it's morphed into. And we couldn't be happier. And uh the whole team at Ampham has been unbelievable. New CEO Bill Weststraight is uh on board with all this, and um, you know, they're they're the reason, you know, they're the they're the backbone, and I kind of hop on along for the ride with them, and and uh it's a great partnership, and um, you know, the monies raised is really unbelievable in my mind, and that's why we continue to do it, and that's what's gonna drive us going forward too. Um, you know, the ability to continue this on, to strive for, you know, I don't know if it can get better. I mean, that's a lot of pressure on our tournament director, Nate. But uh yeah, he's up for the challenge. Um but it but it's uh something that we continue to strive for to raise more and more money each and every year because we know that how much that means to these charities when we get back.
SPEAKER_00Steve, on the on your side on playing, the you got it. Mario is your partner. Uh, do you have a backup, or what would the backup be if you can't get to the ability that you have a pride in your game where you're not comfortable? What do you do? What's what's the backup?
SPEAKER_05Well, he would have to go, he would his partner would come off an alternate list if I can't go, or I could maybe just chip and putt for him, you know. I hope it doesn't, I hope it doesn't come down to that. Um, but I'm I'm uh I'm pretty certain I'll be okay at some point just to give it a go. And I'm just taking my time. I don't know how good I'll be for him, but um it'll be a challenge. I'm up for challenges, and uh this won't be anything different than what I've had to face before. So I'm looking forward to it.
SPEAKER_00Steve, I I think, and I don't know this for a fact, but I think it was it's a three-year contract, was it a three-year contract with TPC? Where does that sit? And uh you had a great tournament host at at University Ridge for all those years. Um, how how does the TPC AMFAM future look, or is that on the conversation table?
SPEAKER_05Um, nothing so far. I mean, I you know, we have another year next year that we'll be back here for, and then I'm sure we'll probably look forward to you know uh more commitments to stay here again. And and uh it's been a great venue for us. And uh Dennis and his team here at TPC um enjoy having us here, and it's good for the club. Uh, it's good for us. Uh the community enjoyed it last year here, and it's uh it's just different, you know, for for the players as well. This team competition and this golf course. So uh in year one was uh was a good uh test and it passed with flying colors, and we're gonna do it again this year, and we'll be back here again next year.
SPEAKER_00Steve, I'll I'll give you one more and then let you go because I know you've got other things uh that that are happening there at TPC today with a media day. Luke Donald's gonna be the European coach again. I mean, he's just gonna stay in that role. Was there consideration for you to do it a second time? Might there be conversations down the road to do that again? Or for you, was that enough? And you'll just stay be comfortable not doing that again?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I think well, I had a couple of reporters reach out to me um, you know, during that time frame when our captain wasn't announced. I had no communication with the PG of America at any point in time. So I don't know if they even thought of me to do it again or not. Um you know, that ship has probably sailed for me, you know, to do it any anymore. Um, you know, it's uh it was a great run that we had at Whistling Straits. I had an unbelievable time, so why would I want to mess that up if if I was to do it again? Um but you know, Luke Donald has has proven that uh he is very capable of doing that job, especially winning here in in the states. Um, but yeah, I I entertained the thought for sure when they hadn't announced anybody for a while. And um, but this point in time in my career, I I it was wise for the for me to stay away from it, I think.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh last one. Do you think there will be a uh tiger sighting at the Ampham Championship at some point down the road? Obviously, it's not gonna be this year, but that has always been in conversation. This year he's eligible, but it's not gonna happen. Right. But do you think that that's in play down the road?
SPEAKER_05For sure. At some point, I think Tiger Woods will come here to play. Not sure when that's gonna be. Um, but I I I'm I I'm pretty certain he'll be here at some point.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. More than Tiger, I want you to play. All right. So yeah, well, thanks, Mike. Let's get you healthy and uh and back out there in the tournament. Uh, thanks for doing this. I know you got a bunch of them going on. Thanks for spending a few minutes with us. We appreciate it.
SPEAKER_05Thank you, Mike. I'll see you here in a couple of weeks.
SPEAKER_00All right, sounds great. Steve Stricker joining us uh from his home course, TPC Wisconsin. The Amp Fan Championship comes up in a couple of weeks. Uh, it's it's just a couple of weeks down the road. So uh can't wait. Should be should be fun. Yeah, Steve is uh Craig asked the question. Um Mark said hello to Steve, but I'm too late to get that up there. But there it is. Anyway, um Steve wanted to know, uh Craig wanted to know if Steve was playing with Mario again. Yes, uh, that is the plan. And that's why when I asked that question of what's a backup plan if you can't go, Mario would have to get somebody who is on the wait list. Every week on all these tournaments, there are alternates and they're on site. I mean, those guys that are chasing on the alternate side, they're they go to the venue and they'll play practice rounds and and and work on their game and then wait and hope that on at some point on Thursday or even Friday morning, they get the phone call that says, hey, so-and-so scratched, you're in the field, and in this case, you're playing with Mario Tiziani. If you're the first alternate, you know that there's a shot and there's some communication that goes back and forth, but sometimes it's the day of decision. And those guys are on site uh kind of taking care of things. We look forward to the Ampfamp Championship coming up in just a couple of weeks. It is uh it is a great uh tournament for our uh uh golf followers in Wisconsin. You know, they moved the venue from University Ridge to TPC Wisconsin, which is the course that Steve designed and has lived by. So it is his golf course, it is his tournament with American Family Insurance. So the format last year when they flipped from University Ridge to TPC, I think was a success, but it's different. You know, they're they're playing. An alternate shot. They're playing a best ball and they're playing a scramble on the three days. So the second day is the scramble day. I believe that's the rotation this year again. And it is uh it is a very interesting and fun format with very low scores. And when they're playing a two-man scramble on Saturday, uh they're they're scoring at a very, very high level of golf. That's how good these guys are. And that part of it is very fun. Um I intentionally, because I know that there are some of you out there that are going, why didn't you? I am not going to delve into Steve's personal and private life. So uh Gary D'Amato ran the story a week ago at Wisconsin.gov that uh that Steve and Nikki Stricker are in the process of divorcing. And I certainly was not, it's not my area, it's not my it's not my business. Uh I would consider both of them to be friends. I've also gone through a divorce. It's no fun. Um, it's not what anybody wants to have going on in their life. Nobody planned that part of it. Uh and if some some people thought, hey, why didn't you ask that question? Well, I was never going to ask that question. So not our business, not here. And I thought Gary D'Amalo did a very good job. It was very uh on the surface level. Steve had one quote in that piece saying that he and uh Nikki had enjoyed a lot of great uh parts of their life together, but they've grown apart. And then he said, That's all I'm saying about it. So I think that's very well handled on his end. And I wasn't gonna uh delve into that part of the storyline. The other part of the storyline, and I did ask the question that I think does have some interest and some legs to it, is the TPC question. The tournament was very successful at University Ridge, uh, a place that I'm I'm very I've uh a very fond spot in my heart for University Ridge. A long time ago, it was essentially my start in the golf industry. I worked in the golf industry for about seven years. Um, years two and three were at University Ridge working for Mike Urban, the director of golf at the time. Jim Ingram was our head pro. And I was an assistant pro, an older assistant pro in '96 and '97. So a long time ago, 30 years ago. Uh and I think that is a fantastic venue for tournament golf. For the spectator, it's a little bit of a hilly walk, but the views and the vistas are fantastic, and it's a great golf course. It moved to TPC a year ago. And I think, although vastly different on the course layout, I think the course held it really well. And TPC Wisconsin is a great golf course. Make no mistake about it. It is a difficult, great golf course, but totally different from a spectator viewing standpoint. You can get around it easily. You can see from one hole to another. Many times you can be at one green and see the next T-shots being hit with full view of both, because there are very few trees out there. Uh, it is, I think, a very good tournament venue. But there is some question on this three-year contract as to whether it will stay where it is at TPC Wisconsin. Um, and part of that is the personal side of the story there too. So we'll see. But uh if you have a chance uh to come out to TPC Wisconsin for the Ampfam Championship, just trying to specifically get the uh the days. I know that obviously the tournament is a Friday, Saturday, Sunday on the champions tour. It is a three-day tournament, uh, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. But the American Family Championship is June the 2nd through the 8th. So the tournament is 6, 7, 8 of June, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And there's that concert with uh Little Big Town and Randy Hauser, who will open for Little Big Town on that Friday night at Breeze Stevens, um, which is great. Uh we we go, uh we we used to go to more concerts, so we don't go to as many now, but that's the one that is certainly one, and we will be uh at that one, and we look forward to the Am Fam Championship. And I appreciate Steve spending time uh with us this morning because he they had to do it obviously through an internet uh camera hookup because I'm not there. So uh, but we will be, and and this podcast will be there probably on Thursday and Friday of the tournament. So look forward to that. Just walk across the street, set up and and and do that. It's a blast. It's it's a fun tournament. Uh, and if you haven't been, I hope that you make plans to go. We'll talk with tournament director Nate Pokras in the next week or so as well to uh get you all set for that tournament. All right. So let me go back and revisit on I think the talk, the top items of the day that we talked about. And it is Jacob Mizorowski who in the National League, the race for Cy Young is going to be a significant race between Shohei Otani, Paul Skeens, and Jacob Mizorowski. And we're talking about Cy Young on May 20th. I get it. But Miz has put his name very much on the ballot to be a Cy Young award candidate finalist to maybe win the damn thing. Because right now, nobody's pitching better. Nobody's pitching better right now than Miz. And all we all you got to do is look at these numbers. He he went six innings last night, three hits allowed, all singles, one walk, eight strikeouts, and his ERA lowered to 1.89. The last time he allowed an extra base hit was six starts ago. April 19th. It is a month, six starts in between. He has not allowed an extra base hit, 114 batters faced and no extra base hits. He's the only pitcher in the modern era to have a four-start span with 30 plus strikeouts, no runs allowed, and no extra base hits allowed. 24 and a third consecutive scoreless. The Brewers' all-time record, Teddy Higueira, had 32 consecutive scoreless innings in 1987. The Cubs uh were the victim last night. So lay it out. Miz will not go against the Dodgers because the way the rotation stacks up, uh they get Kyle Harrison tonight, and then the Dodgers series will be outside of Miz. You're not gonna move him up. So Ms. will pitch against the Cardinals in Milwaukee early next week. So we again we go back to this run of games, this 18-game run that the Brewers were on that saw them playing the Yankees, the Padres, at the Twins, at the Cubs, home with the Dodgers, and home with the Cardinals. Now, if I just check the overall Major League Baseball standings now, the Dodgers have the third best record in baseball. The Yankees are tied, then it's the Brewers, then the Padres, then the Cardinals, then the Cubs. So that 18-game strats I'm talking about includes the Dodgers, Yankees, Padres, Cardinals, and Cubs. That's 15 of the 18 games in that stretch, as the top records in baseball. The only ones that they're not playing in that stretch are Tampa and Atlanta. Everybody else in there is in the top seven of uh of Major League Baseball. So it has been a it is a very difficult run. The Brewers are 9-2, 11 games into the eight-game, 18-game run. It is super impressive. And the credit goes obviously to the players, but if you can't give full credit to Pat Murphy, Mark Otanasio, Matt Arnold, and his team, then you're kind of missing a boat. And I said off the top of the show, listening to Cap and Hood on ESPN Chicago this morning, and they're talking about if they can't get home this year, if they don't win the L Central, if they can't get over the Brewers, maybe it's time to cut Jed Hoyer and Craig Council. And I'm like, what? That's the measure. If you can't beat the Brewers, then maybe it's time to move on. The Cubs will, I would think, be active at the trade deadline. And we talked to Cap about that on Monday. I think a really interesting conversation here is will the Brewers because they're still not getting production from third base. I don't mind the Joy Ortiz thing. Some people do. I don't mind it because I think he's a brilliant defender. Brilliant. Third base, they thought maybe they could get an answer with Hamilton and Renjifo splitting time there. It's not worked. Hamilton is a great utility bench guy. But as an everyday guy, that experiment only works when he bunts and he can steal bases, and that's extraordinary. Renhifo has been, he was disappointing a year ago. They thought that that might turn around and it has not. But then you've got to be uncomfortable. You've got to be okay being uncomfortable on what they might deal. And it's why the Brewers haven't done that very often. But if you're gonna go get a year ago, if you were gonna go get A. Eugenio Suarez, who ended up being in Seattle and he did very little in Seattle, if you end up going to get a guy at the trade deadline that can hit for some power and play third base, you've got to be okay with who goes away. And you've got to be okay understanding that the guy that you likely go get is a rental. You're giving up a long-term lease for a rental that is short-term. It's three months. Maybe two. So anyway, we'll deal with that when we get to the right time. Boy, this it goes fast when you get a couple of guests. Jim Paul Zine, thank you from the Wisconsin State Journal. Steve Stricker uh joined us live. We appreciate his time. Every time I get a chance to visit with Steve, uh, I enjoy it. Um, and today he was kind of making the rounds a little bit uh with the Ampham Championship and their media day. All right. Big thank you to our sponsors, onecommunity.bank. Go to the website right now. They've got this uh this event going on tonight. If you're a home buyer, tonight is a night that is of interest for you at one community bank. Their team of experts will guide you through each step in purchasing a home and available to answer questions you have. Visit onecommunity.bank to learn more and to RSVP for their first-time home buyer seminar tonight at 6.30. So check that out. Also, we are presented by M3 Insurance, your independent privately held insurance broker and risk management firm. Go to m3ins.com, presented by Neuroscience Group. So that headache, dizziness, brain fog conversation that you've been having issues with, neurosciencegroup.com is your answer. Look them up, neurosciencegroup.com. We are also brought to you by Pottawatomy Sportsbook and Casino Bet Above the Rest. And oh, by the way, with Pottawatomy, I just wanted to add this in on the uh the game front tonight for the Brewers. It is an even game. It is a money line, even odds on the game. The Brewers pay you plus 100. That means $100 bet wins you $100. So they're talking about even money on that. The Brewers are one and a half favorite on the run line. And if they get that, it's plus $188. So a $100 bet would win you uh a profit of $188. The Cubs at plus one and a half runs are minus $250. So you'd have to bet $250 to make 100 on that. The over-underline on runs in this game is six and a half. So those are the numbers there. And we're also presented as we are every day by our friends at Habish, Habish, and Rotier. Appreciate their support of this program. Uh presented by Habish, Habish, and Rotier. 13 locations. Ensure you get a hometown attorney who understands your life, the impacts of injury on your life, personally committed to your recovery. Well, what a fun day and a busy short window, an hour-long window, not quite enough for today. Um let's see if uh a couple of uh notes, or at least one note on the way out. Mike wanted to know, hope some teams want Ren Hifo. They don't. And they bring up someone for their third and short and adjust players. Um I don't think the answer for the Brewers is to bring up Cooper Pratt at shortstop to answer that issue. I think it can be it, it can be damaging, and I don't know that there's a positive return on that. I like Cooper Pratt. I think he's absolutely part of the future plans, and he might be up at some point this year, but I don't think he's they they want to bring him up and play him at third base, I don't think. And defensively, he's every bit of Joey Ortiz, but they're gonna do, I think they're gonna do the right thing. It's one of those times where I lean in and say, trust them, trust their process. I think at some point when we're talking two months from right now, when we're talking about July 20th, the idea of trading for a third baseman is should be part of their plan. Um, and I don't know that Jet Williams is the answer on that either. By the way, Jet Williams, no, it's Luis uh Lara that is not on the 40, man, but uh they're gonna have some decisions. Uh Zach wants to bring up the Brooms tonight uh in Chicago for the Brewers. And thanks for the comments there from Zach. Uh James talking about bringing up Jet Williams. That'll wrap it for today. Tomorrow on the show, Vinny Rettino. So Vinny's been on the call at Wrigley. He is tonight with Jeff Levering, and he'll be our guest. Uh as we do every Thursday, Vinny Rettino will join us. Are we talking about the Brewers uh in first place by a game and a half over the Cubs and a sweep in Chicago? Or, you know, is there a little market correction on that end of it? We got plenty to talk about tomorrow with Vinny Rettino. I'll be here again live in Scottsdale. Looking forward to tomorrow. Thanks for being with us today. And uh enjoy your Wednesday. We'll talk to you on I Love Mondays, the Thursday edition, 23 hours from now. Have a great rest of your day.
SPEAKER_02I love Mondays with my help.