Terrell Suggs Calls Skip Bayless a Douchebag

The video is exactly as the title of the posting would suggest. Here's the thing with Skip Bayless, he might not be a douchebag in real life but he certainly plays one on TV. This posting aside, I never get into conversation when it comes to Skip Bayless. His whole shtick is that he says the most outlandish things that he knows will upset the common sports fan to such a degree that they will 1) talk about him with their friends/coworkers, 2) write about him via a social media platform 3) continue to watch First Take to see what stupid thing he'll say next. The fact that people don't get this fascinates me. I'm not upset that his character is the way he is, I'm upset that the real Skip Bayless would play this character in the first place. I'll complain and bitch about a lot of different things, but Skip Bayless isn't one of them.

Simply put, it's because he's a douchebag.

Let's Never Play the Giants at Lambeau Again

Having the privilege of attending another playoff game at Lambeau Field, I have to say that right from the start this one felt a little bit different. Don't get me wrong, the crowd started off hot and the moment of a playoff game at Lambeau wasn't lost on anyone, but any Packer fan would be lying if they didn't sense a little bit of doubt in the back of their minds when seeing the New York Giants take the field. Maybe it's because of the memories of the 2007 NFC Championship Game, maybe it's not, but the Giants just look at home at Lambeau Field. Maybe even more so than the Packers.

As the Lambeau Field mystique has faded over the last decade for the Green Bay Packers (especially in the playoffs), the Giants are learning to thrive there. Lambeau Field in January is a cold, frigid place, something the Giants are familiar with on their own. The difference though between playing in the cold in New Jersey and playing in the cold in Green Bay is that their is a lot less pressure for the Giants in Green Bay. Less fans to boo, less media to criticize, less disappointment if the blow yet another game. In Green Bay, the Giants have comfort. They almost steal the home-field advantage right out from under the Packers.

I write about the Giants because the 37-20 outcome that occured last Sunday is more on the Giants and less on the Packers. Look, the Packers had an off day. Maybe Rodgers was a bit out of sync with guys like Greg Jennings, but I really don't think the both of them playing against the Lions in the regular season finale would have helped (it's not like they weren't practicing day after day, they took one game off not a whole month of training). I'm not about to sit here and listen to excuses about a death in the Packers family (our deepest condolences, but that is not why the Packers lost this game. Thinking otherwise is quite cruel if you ask me). The Packers lost this game because of turnover, drops, and problems in pass coverage. The Giants also won because they executed better and took advantage of the Packers mistakes. No rust, no layoff, no distractions. The Giants just played better.

So now the Packers have again lost to the Giants, where we do go from here? Well, as it happened back in the 2007 season, I'm not ready to live in a world where the Giants are Super Bowl Champions. Unfortunately back then, that turned out to be the case. And the similarities are beginning to stack up for the Giants between that season and this one. Losing close to an undefeated team in the regular season, beating the Packers at Lambeau in the postseason, and now a potential matchup against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

There's one difference though between that Giants team and this one. That Giants team didn't have to go into San Francisco against a team that owns possibly the best defense in the league. A team that is capable in the passing attack but dominant in the rushing game. A team with special teams that rarely make the mistake. The Giants run in 2011 was a fun one for their fans, but it's coming to an end on Sunday.

Even if as a Packer fan rooting against them I'm starting to feel the same doubt betting against them that I did last week.

NFL Weekend Predictions

San Francisco 23, New York 14

New England 31, Baltimore 29

Predictions Worse Than Mayock's Analysis

It was a somewhat underwhelming NFL Wild Card weekend as many of the games were all but decided by the fourth quarter. But then, whether you like it or not, Tim Tebow and his 3:16 yards happened. He's as polarizing of a figure as they come, and on this weekend he took Tebowmania to new heights. Nevermind the fact that Tim Tebow has been so bad lately that the Steelers defended him as if he wasn't able to even through a short crossing route (which he's not, he can only throw deep apparently), Tim Tebow somehow turned in one of the better playoff performances by a quarterback of all-time. I know a lot of people are boycotting outlets like the NFL Network this week because they don't want to see the Tebow coverage, but as someone who has watched the sports channels the last couple of days, it's almost as if there are no other games this weekend because Denver and New England. 

But there are, and we preview them here:

New Orleans (-3.5) at San Francisco - Saturday, 3:30pm, FOX

Usually I like Mike Mayock on the NFL Network's Thursday Night broadcasts, but he was especially bad on Saturday afternoon during the Texans/Bengals game. Let me tell you, there are many techniques in writing that when lazily are ignored can turn a piece of work from well-written to a complete waste of time (and my violations of these offenses shall be ignored for the purpose of this particular article), and one of those techniques is how you cite your sources. For example, if I am going to reference where I heard a particular fact or rumor, I will name the actual source, such as This fact comes from the message boards of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel... rather than use the phrase I read the other day... . Mike Mayock went the lazy route several times, including at one time saying "I spoke with some guys after that Thursday Night Opener and we agreed that the NFC Championship could come down to New Orleans and Green Bay". Some guys? Who? Esteemed colleagues? Fans at a certain stadium? Guys you met in a hotel lobby bar? Some clarification there would be nice.

I know that I'm nitpicking, but let me do it some more. I wish I counted how many times Mayock said something to the extent of "I talked with (certain player) down on the field and I asked him how he was feeling, he said, 'Mike, I feel great, and here's why." That's a technique broadcasters use to show you that they have inside access to players and coaches that we as fans just don't have. While that is true, I know for a fact that Mayock is exaggerating. Announcers do this all the time. The next time you hear a broadcaster say, "I talked with .... before the game..." it is most likely of an exaggeration of when that announcer walked by the player and either said something in passing or overheard them saying something to someone else. It was a lazy, uninspired performance by Mayock and the Notre Dame guy, who's name I'm not going to look up because I too am lazy. Tom Hammond I think? Either way, a terrible broadcast.

Mayock did have a point though when he lied about talking to people about the Saints and Packers meeting back up in the NFC Championship Game, because I had that same thought that September evening as well. But now that we're a week away from that happening, I'm not 100 percent behind that initial thought. One of those teams, either the Packers or the Saints, are going to lose this weekend. And even though I'm nervous as hell that when I'm going to Lambeau to watch the game on Sunday I'm going to drive home disappointed, I'm going to try not to give in to those negative thoughts and say it will be the Saints that fall. And since they are nowhere nearly as good on the road as they are at home (a fact that everyone forgets because it seems that the Saints are only on national television when they play in the Superdome), I'm going to with the Niners in this one.

San Francisco 27, New Orleans 22

Denver (+13.5) at New England

Brace yourself America, we're in for another round of Tebow Time. I can't say that I've ever really liked Tebow before this year. Even though I always have been fond of the Florida Gators, I was more into the Danny Wuerffel, Rex Grossman, and Chris Leak led teams. When Tebow got there, I'm not sure if I was put off by the fact that the Gators were "too good" or if I just stopped caring about anything SEC football related, but I didn't seem to care about the Gators as much as I used to. Even though a big deal was made about his religion at that time as well, that isn't what turned me off from him. I guess it's hard to say why Tebow is so polarizing a figure in sports. Ask a diehard football fan and the answer might be because it's incredible to watch someone who has such a terrible skill set play so well (or at least win). Ask the casual fan and they may have an issue with his overly religious actions one way or another. I just really only like him because he helped me out in fantasy this year, quite honestly. But I have to admit, I do enjoy the hell out of watching a guy who really, as a whole, is a terrible NFL quarterback go out and continue to win football games.

The thing with Tebow winning these games though isn't how well he plays in them, as it more often has to do with how bad his opponents play in those games. Each of his fourth quarter comebacks can easily be classified more as fourth quarter collapses by his opponents, especially when Marion Barber seemed to run into Tebow laced Kryptonite when the Bears matched up against Denver. With the Steelers game, part of the reason Pittsburgh lost was because they suffered injury after injury to their defenders in that game. For some reason, it always seems like the breaks seem to go the way of Tebow, and I do not for one second think that it's some "divine intervention".  

But if any team can break that streak of miraculous wins it's the Evil Empire known as the New England Patriots. Even though they are nowhere the same team that won those Super Bowls at the beginning of the last decade, they still are held in the same regard and this year's team is probably the closest chance they have to going to a Super Bowl since 2004. Their defense will let Tebow score a time or two, but don't expect any deep bombs after last week, and don't expect the Patriots offense to stay quiet either. Similar to their last meeting, Denver will get their points, but New England will get many, many more.

New England 44, Denver 27

Houston (+7.5) at Baltimore

I'm heading down the path where I end up taking all the home teams which I didn't set out to do at the beginning of this column, so I'm inclined to take Houston here to offset that trend. And while I think this is a game that the Texans can win, I think that Baltimore has the belief that they are on a mission to get back to the Super Bowl. I'm still not sure if that's going to be the case if they have to head into to New England, but in a similar situation this is probably their best chance to make it to the Super Bowl since their previous appearance. I'm not sure if they'll cover, but they will beat Houston on Sunday. 

Here's an interesting question for Texans fans - what do you do with T.J. Yates next season? Really, it's not who is lining up at center for Houston that is making my decision, I just think Baltimore is too good to be beaten at home right now. But even if they had Matt Schuab (or Schub as Mayock would say) I wouldn't think their chances would be any better. Yates really isn't a bad quarterback, and he played brilliantly in their playoff win over Cincinnati. Sure, he relies on the playaction roll out a little too much but I wouldn't say that Schaub has a clear advantage over Yates. I always find it odd when a particular player will shine with one team because of injuries in front of him and then go back to being buried on the bench the next season. Remember how good Jacob Tamme was for the Colts last season? Where was he this year? Even when Dallas Clark was out you barely heard from him. Sure, Manning was hurt and all but you still think a player that had such a good season one year would still show up as at least a blip on the radar the next season. 

(Sidenote: Sorry for my delayed absence from the site. I know everyone has been waiting a full month for my thoughts on Jacob Tamme.)

Baltimore 20, Houston 2 

Just kidding. No team is that terrible that they would only score two points in a playoff game. Oh... wait. In all seriousness, has Mike Smith been fired yet? Most stubborn coach I've ever seen. Kick the damn field goal!

Baltimore 20, Houston 13

New York Giants (+8) at Green Bay

Every Packers fan I know is nervous about this game, and it's mainly for one reason. We've seen it happen before. Eli Manning and the New York Giants got a ton of momentum for a regular season LOSS and turned into a Super Bowl Championship. Those weren't the same Packers back in 2007 that we have now, mainly because of our new weapon at Quarterback. One that hopefully won't throw the game away with a terrible pass in overtime should this game come to that. But if there's any game where I would bet on an away team (after subtracting my love for the Packers, as I am a co-owner after all) it would probably be this one. It's not the parallels to 2007 that I'm worried about, it's more the whole momentum after the Wild Card Weekend thing that fears me. Remember how flat the Falcons looked last year when the Packers went into the Georgia Dome during the divisional playoffs? Could that same thing happen to the Packers? You wouldn't think so, but again you never know.

I really do believe, that albeit quietly, Mike McCarthy is on a mission to be known as the greatest Packers coach of all time. I know that's a tall order, considering he's trying to play for a trophy that has Lombardi's name on it, but McCarthy has always been a man of large goals. You try to not laugh when a tollbooth worker tells you he's going to coach in the NFL someday. McCarthy has always made the most of his opportunities, and he's lead this team to 21 wins in their last 22 tries. You don't do that by accident. If there's any coach that's going to have his guys ready for a big game, it's Mike McCarthy. Not bad for tollbooth willy. 

I almost liked it better last year though, when the Packers were the underdog with nothing to lose. This year, there are a ton of expectations on us, and at 15-1, you almost have to win the Super Bowl right? Wouldn't anything less be considered a failure, especially since we (which I can say now, remember - I'm an owner) won the title last year? I know there's supposed to be a five year grace period after your team wins a championship (Bill Simmons came up with that, this is me giving credit to my sources), but I want another title so bad. I want Rodgers to already double up Favre. I want McCarthy and Thompson to be forever remembered in Packers lore. I want the injured guys from last year to get a taste of the Lombardi for themselves. I want Charles Woodson and Barack Obama to see each other again. Please don't take that away from me again, New York. Move aside so that we can all watch the prediction that Mike Mayock and some dudes had back in September come to fruition. At least for the Packers.

Green Bay 38, New York 27 

Green Bay 41, New York 40

New York 28, Green Bay 27

I still haven't decided which of those is my real prediction.

Badgers Lose Two in a Row at Home

The ridiculousness of Michigan State again beating Wisconsin on a post game official review and overturn overshadowed the fact that the Wisconsin Badgers have now lost two straight conference games at home. First Iowa and now Michigan State - a rough start for the Badgers. The whole different clock debacle was pretty crazy - see a Grantland rundown here, but it definitely masks some pretty big issues for Wisconsin Basketball.

At the beginning of the season I assumed two things - that Wisconsin would win at home, where they have only lost once in the past 2 seasons, and that Jordan Taylor would be a beast, carrying the team on his back if he had to. This was not figurative. I literally think Jordan Taylor could carry the team on his back. Look at him! Ok, maybe not the whole team, but at least the other four on court players.

This two assumptions have proven false so far this season. Wisconsin has lost 3 times at home already this season. The Kohl Center fortress has not been as impenetrable as in years past. Jordan Taylor, has been good, but not All-American caliber. His shooting has often times been downright poor this season. With these two preconceptions gone, the other problems become all the more evident. The main problems that I see would be the INFATUATION with the 3 pointer and the lack of interior defense. Wisconsin is just all too ready to jack the three. Usually it happens with the shot clock running down, but they often times go interior possessions without even getting the ball inside the 3 point line. Taylor, Gasser, Brust, Bruesewitz, Breggren, and even Kaminsky are all guilty of this. The only remedy of this though, seems to be Jordan Taylor. If he can be aggressive and drive to the basket it opens up shots not only for him, but his teammates as well. The other problem is a bit more troublesome. Teams with any decent big men will control the paint on both sides of the ball. Ryan Evans is athletic, but cannot guard the 4 ad Bruesewitz seems to be on the bench many times in the second half of games in favor of Brust. The lose of Leuer and Nankivil is very apparent on the defensive end.

There is still plenty of time for the Badgers to recovery. There is a lot of season and a lot of quality wins still up on the board. We have seen in recent years in college basketball that all that matters is being hot in March. I still think this team can put it together. A lot of it rests on Jordan Taylor. If he is aggressive like in the second half against MSU, Wisconsin can beat anybody. But this does bring up the rather scary questions, what's Wisconsin Basketball going to look like in 2013?

The Rose Bowl Result Doesn't Matter

I made the mistake that I often do after a big loss to one our of favorite Wisconsin teams - I checked Facebook. The news feed was cluttered with people expressing their disgust about the Badgers losing and many of my social network friends were calling for Bret Bielema to be fired. I felt quite sad for those feeling pain after the loss. What those upset about the Rose Bowl heartbreak don't realize is that the outcome of the Rose Bowl, from a fan's perspective historically, doesn't matter.

Here's my point - the Rose Bowl is a consolation game. Getting to the game itself is the prize, the result of the game really doesn't matter from season to season. Sure, you want to win the game and fans should be disappointed that the Badgers lost. But there's two reasons that the initial Facebook reaction should not have been carried into your office today. One, Oregon is the better team. Never were the Badgers favored, and never did we think that Wisconsin had the more talented squad. The better team won, congrats. But more importantly, the Rose Bowl - just like every other college bowl besides whatever they call the championship game - is no different than the NFL's Pro Bowl. Getting there is the reward, the outcome of the game is irrelevant.

College football's postseason is already a flawed system when compared to every other major sport. Only two teams get to play for the trophy, the rest of the pack takes vacations to (in most cases) warm weather locales to hang out and then, oh yeah, play a football game. What's the difference between Oregon winning the Rose Bowl and Temple winning the Gildan New Mexico Bowl? Both teams were awarded for their solid regular seasons by the chance to play a game in a neutral site on national television. Both teams won their final game of the year and flew home feeling happy. Yes, I realize that Oregon did it on a larger scale, but the fact that the Ducks won the game still remains irrelevant. Coaches don't get fired if they lose bowl games - hell, some coaches leave fore new jobs before the bowl game even arrives, what does that say about their importance? Recruits are going to be impressed that the school made the Rose Bowl, but not whether your team won it or not. Win or lose, it's the final game of the season for both teams, and both schools return to business as usual after the contest.

Here's the meat and potatoes of this post - Getting to the Rose Bowl is a legitimate accomplishment that should be celebrated. But the result of the game is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

I don't fault anyone for being upset that the Badgers lost, it's a natural reaction. But to have those feelings last longer than ten minutes is pretty ridiculous. These bowl games, after all, are exhibition games (unless you're betting on the games, then that is a different story). And to get so upset about the loss that you think Bielema should be fired is even more asinine. Sure, he may not have coached the best game (the timeouts that he did took are easy to criticize in hindsight if you had the advantage of watching the game on TV) but he's not the reason the Badgers lost this game. Getting to the Rose Bowl in back-to-back seasons is a good enough accomplishment for me. Sure, I would have liked to see the Badgers in the national championship game, but they were denied a trip there because of fluke hail marys, not because of bad coaching. Let's drop the wish to fire this guy right now.

When you look at this period in Badgers history years from now, it really won't matter that the Badgers lost the Rose Bowl. You'll say, "The Badgers went to the Rose Bowl in back to back years under Bielema", just like we say "the Badgers went to the Rose Bowl three times under Alvarez". The operative word there is went as opposed to won/loss. Getting there is the reward, the result is just a cherry on top of the sundae.

Need more proof that the Rose Bowl doesn't matter? Watch sports television the day after the Rose Bowl. Nobody was talking about the timeouts. Nobody was talking about the dynamic offenses. A few mentioned the last second spike. But the top story? How cool were the Oregon helmets!

Congrats, Wisconsin. You made the Rose Bowl. You lost the exhibition. Better luck next year.

The End of ProFootballTrash.com

Last year around this time, the Packers were in the middle of a playoff run when ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio came across a video of Aaron Rodgers not signing an autograph for a fan. Florio then went full out character assassin on the matter, and while he eventually took back a lot of what he said about Aaron Rodgers "needing to learn where his money comes from", the backlash to Florio was still strong. I swore off reading PFT ever again at the time, but just like Florio I've come back on my claims and once again regularly read the site. I think a lot of people are always going to despise Florio not for who he is but what he is - a normal dude that became a star by blogging about football. It's a dream that all of us have had, but only he was lucky enough to get a meeting with the devil to exchange him his soul.

Nevertheless, at the time the article Florio wrote came out I was so outraged that I created a site ProFootballTrash.com, and the intention was to slam Florio once or twice a week until I got his attention. That never happened and I only wrote on the site twice, but I bring it up again because the domain registration is set to expire next month and I am not spending the $10 again to keep the name. So, I will post the article that I wrote as "ProFootballTrash" here on The Bucky Channel, as (despite popular opinion) I am going to re-up on the domain fee to keep TBC alive. Enjoy this article from January 17th, 2011...

With the Green Bay Packers going into Chicago this week as favorites in the NFC Championship Game, Packers fans are feeling pretty good about their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1966 (or maybe they've been there since, I'm not sure, I'm not that big into fact checking). Packers fans are worried however, because of the terrible news that came out regarding Aaron Rodgers this week. The rumor that Aaron Rodgers hates cancer patients has been around since he first entered the NFL. Hell, it's the reason San Francisco didn't draft him. But this notion that he hated cancer has never been confirmed. Finally though, WBAY-TV out of Green Bay caught Rodgers - ON TAPE!!! - walking past someone wearing all pink and refusing to stop to say hello, refusing to sign her hat, declining to take her out to see the new Vince Vaughn movie, and most regrettably of all, refusing to cure her cancer. Rodgers has been busted for the cancer patient hater that he is.

Since this horrible display, reports from all over Green Bay have Rodgers ignoring people with cancer. "I went to the grocery store the other day, and Rodgers neglected to say hi to me," confesses Bob Hermandale of Ashwaubenon. "I was at one end of the aisle, wearing a pink button in support of cancer, as I am a lung cancer survivor from a few years back. Rodgers was at the end of the aisle, and he refused to come and approach me. Once Jan's (Cavanaugh) story came out, I knew I wasn't alone."

Alone Bob wasn't.

Take the story of Kenechi Udeze, former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings who retired from the Vikings in 2009 because of the aftereffects of his treatment for ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). "Even though I'm retired from the NFL, I still consider myself a Viking," Udeze may or may not have ever said in his life. "I met Rodgers a few times when the Vikings would play the Packers, and once he found out I had cancer, he never talked to me again. Then this year, he went out and beat my old teammates and friends not once, but twice! He knew I was rooting for Minnesota, and since I had cancer, he should have done anything in his power to make me happy."

Now, I know that I consider myself a journalist, but instead of just reporting on the facts I'm also going to inject some opinion into my story. Look, nobody likes cancer. It's terrible. It's probably the worst thing in the world. It tears families apart, and good people die way too young from it. That we all know. But that fact that a non-cancer victim is so blatantly ignoring a cancer victim that just wants to get her hat signed is the worst thing in the world, dare I say, even worse than cancer!

I also know that Rodgers has done some good in the community, and the mere fact that I mention this might contradict things I've previously said, but that's in the past. You want accolades for helping donate your time and money to people with cancer, especially children. What do you want to me say, "You want a cookie or something?"

Bottom line here? I saw how popular Aaron Rodgers became after his win against the Falcons, and I am deciding to tear him down a peg. That's what we do here in America. We get successful in life by tearing down others. Once people hate Rodgers again, then I will defend him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Scrooge McDuck style vault in my backyard full of gold coins I need to swim in, and further distance myself from reality.

And thus the ProFootballTrash.com experiment comes to an end.

Greg Stiemsma Leads NBA in Blocks Per Game

Greg Stiemsma leads the NBA in blocks per game, checking in with 6 block per game.

No you did not read this incorrectly. And no, I did not write this incorrectly. I did not mean the NBDL or the pre-season or anything like that. I'm not talking about blocks per minute, but blocks per game, and actual NBA stat. First off, how astonished are you that Greg Stiemsma is in the NBA? Second, that he actually plays and makes contributions to the Boston Celtics? Ok, the sample size is pretty small. Stiemsma has only played in one game so far this season, but 20 minutes played and 6 blocks is pretty nice - 1 block every 3 1/3 minutes! There's really nothing I can do but shake my head and say Congratulations Greg and share this with the world.

I also just discovered that the Twin Towers were reunited this fall. Yes, Greg Stiemsma and Brian Butch were again teammates. This time it was for Team USA! You cannot make this stuff up. Stiemsma and Butch teamed up for the US in the Pan-Am Games. The team was only comprised of NBDLers, but still this is pretty cool, pretty cool or a sign that Armageddon is indeed coming in 2012. Either way, Go Badgers!

Come On Finley

Editor's Note: This article was intended to be published on December 16th, 2011. But since I am such a terrible waste of space I wasn't able to post it until December 31st. Also, I do plan on writing another column on here soon. How about an NFL playoff preview? Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it too. - Winks

Jermichael Finley isn't happy about all the Tebow talk. Who gives a crap Finley? This couldn't be any better for the Packers right now. Don't get me wrong the Packers are getting plenty of people talking about them, but still the focus seems to be Tim Tebow. I think 20% of the reason I cheer for Tebow is because it will just be another thing Sportscenter can drive into the ground.

Being out of work from an injury for the past few weeks it has just been funny watching Dan Patrick, Sportscenter, NFL Network, and ESPN First Take. As far as First Take goes I think I have watched about 20 minutes total of it, but Tebow has been the reason everytime I watch it. Skip Bayless is the worst person ever, but he has loved Tebow since day one so he is going to ride this out till the bitter end. What is wrong with the Packers just winning every week, and they are not getting as much media as Tebow. The media is what always seems to brings good things to an end.

Jermichael this team is doing great right now, and we don't need to be in the media for something as lame as this. Let Joe Flacco run his mouth about awful all the Tebow coverage is, because Joe Flacco is such a great QB. I don't know why I feel this way, but Finley seems to be making more noise off the field than on the field. Maybe Finley you should go have another three touchdown game, and Skip Bayless will talk about you. If that will make you shut up then go on the field and score three touchdowns, so Skip can start the Finley train.

Milwaukee Bucks Season Preview

The Milwaukee Bucks will start the 2011-12 season on December 26th, and right now seem to be one of the only teams in the NBA with a full roster. They have a few injuries that they are dealing with right now, but they are all day to day things. The Bucks will have two preseason games before they start the 66 game schedule. It is early to tell who the starting five will be, but lets take a shot at it.

If I had to guess this would be my starting five.

PG: Brandon Jennnings

SG: Stephen Jackson

SF: Carlos Delfino

PF: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

C: Andrew Bogut

It looks a little small, but that seems to be the new thing in the NBA. I guess you can switch Jackson and Delfino, but really they play either position. I just think with spending the money that they did on Mbah Moute he has to start. Drew Gooden is getting older and I think his minutes should be cut. Also he is the only option to really back up Bogut at center if he gets in foul trouble. The rest of the bench should pan out this way, as long as my starting five are right.

PG: Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston

SG: Tobias Harris, Darington Hobson

SF: Mike Dunleavy, Ersan Ilyasova

PF: Larry Sanders, Jon Brockman, Jon Leuer

C: Drew Gooden

I'm not really sure how Harris and Hobson will fit in, because they haven't played NBA ball yet. Everywhere else it seems like we have the depth again, but I hope the injury bug leaves this team alone this year. I just want to see what this team can do if they don't have guys hurt every other game. It would be nice to see the same starting five go out on the court every game, instead of waiting till game time to hear the new starting five.

Jennings needs to become more of a point guard on this team. I think with Jackson and Bogut they should be able to do most of the scoring. Also having a guy like Dunleavy come off the bench for like 12 points a game will be new for this team. Mbah a Moute is the defender that can guard almost anyone on the court, so he is the super star stopper. Delfino is the three point specialist for the starting five, and Dunleavy can shoot the tray ball off the bench.

Brockman is a great rebounder and hustle guy off the bench. Larry Sanders is also a defensive guy off the bench, but he needs to work on staying out of foul trouble. It will be interesting to see how he does in his second year. As far as Leuer, Ilyasova, and both back up point guards I really don't know how they will fit in. I hope Ersan gets some minutes, but he just seems to struggle on the defensive side of things.

The Bulls should have no problem winning the central division, but the Bucks should be able to pass the Pacers for second place this year. I think Bucks should make the playoffs this year after just barley missing last season. My guess is going to be the 6th seed this season. You have to put the Heat, Celtics, Bulls, Magic (If Howard stays), Knicks all in the playoffs, but after these five it is wide open. I think the Bucks could be the next best team of the wide open Eastern Conference. If the injury bug bites then they may be able to get the golf clubs out early again.

I guess I didn't realize it till now, but I kind of miss the Bucks being on TV. Right now the Packers are taking up my Sunday's, but the Bucks never play on Sunday's that much anyway. Don't get me wrong the Packers are still my number one team, but it will be nice to see the Bucks play a few nights a week. It will be even better if the Bucks are good. I guess we will have to wait till December 26th to see what kind of team we have.

Rodgers Sticks up for Braun

Okay everyone, Aaron Rodger spoke his mind. GET OVER IT. I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but people are questioning whether Rodgers really should have defended Braun or not. Well when he says he is one of his best friends I don't see why he wouldn't. Athletes are human and they should be able to live life like everyone else. If a friend of mine was in a bad spot I'm going to stick up for him until I know the truth.

I'm not saying Braun hasn't done anything right or wrong. The issue of him possibly taking a PED is still under investigation, and until this is figured out Ryan needs to be looked at like a human. Don't start talking about taking away his MVP award before he is accused 100%. Everyone is human and we all make choices in life. If Braun made a wrong choice it will affect him, but its a choice he made.

Also I can't believe people are saying if Ryan Braun was an African-American people would be more upset with him. If the is right and Braun gets 50 games he will have this hanging over his head the rest of is career. I don't think his numbers changed that much this past year, and I really think what he took wasn't going to make him some huge roided up athlete. Not to pick on Barry Bonds but take a look at a picture of his from when he played with the Pirates to one of his playing with the Giants, and he is a different person. He looks like a teenager for the Pirates and Hulk Hogan for the Giants.

If Braun is found guilty he should serve his 50 games, come back and play good baseball. He will have already used one of his strikes, so you know he won't risk doing anything else. As far as the MVP that is up to him. If he wants to give it up he can, but I don't think it is something you can just take away. Either way this news is just getting old, and I really wish people would move on from it. How about we let this play out, and it will be dealt with the way it should be. Until the final verdict is said lets not go overboard about what might happen. Rodgers was just saying his friend seems to be a hard worker, and this doesn't seem to be something he would do. Rodgers did what every person is the world does everyday, and that is sticking up for a friend. Lets move on to a different topic media.

Like if Ryan Braun has herpes or not.

James Smizek: The Comeback

I kind of feel bad being the only guy that ever shows up in the "Bucky Channel Writers" Tweet box on the right of the page, yet also being the guy who probably contributes the least.  I don't mean to be the guy who just takes, but dog eat dog world, right?  No, not really.  So I figure a monthly submission here and there will keep the masses happy.  The masses, like they're all after me for not posting.

Since it's been a while, I haven't been able to throw popular opinion on anything.  I mean, it's been a real long time.  Here is a list of things that have happened since my last post (in no specific order):

• The Brewers made the playoffs!  Then lost to the loathed Cardinals.
• Those Cardinals went on to win the World Series and got rewarded by Pujols saying hey St. Louis blow me.
• The NBA went away... Then came back.
• NASA found possible water on Mars.
• Hurricane Irene fucked some shit up.
• People started "Occupying" places.

This list could go on forever.  I mean, religion, politics, natural disasters, Ryan Braun's possible Herpes?  I mean, have we discussed that?  This is far more important than anything else right now, how is Braun and Rodgers gonna get all the bitches if Braun has a cloud of Herpes hanging over his head?  No more wing-man for Aaron.

But on a serious note, can that please be true?  If you didn't know, google "Ryan Braun Herpes" or if you're lazy, I did it for you.  Apparently his high testosterone level may have in fact been due to his herpes treatment, which involves, yes, testosterone hikes.  Seems like another "I swear, I didn't take PED's" but for the first time ever, could it actually be true?  Trenni sure thinks so.  I'm not one to buy into rumors, alleged allegations, ect ect.  So I will leave my thoughts at that.

Staying on Brewers subject, I am actually a fan of the Aramis Rameriz signing.  Obviously losing Prince is a big deal, but if ARam can fill about 3/4th of his production we will be absolutely fine.  Plus, who do you want on the corner, ARam, or McGehee?  That question was answered quickly as they then shipped McGehee out to where any baseball player goes to die, Pittsburgh.  Man I am sure going to miss little Mack throwing out first pitches... And seeing Casey's wife every now and again, she was easy on the eyes. 

Switching gears to football, how about them Packers?  No really, how are they doing?  I haven't been paying attention.. Are we any good?   I really don't even want to talk about this subject, I mean, what if we lost next week, would I be the proverbial jinx?  I don't want to be that guy... No one wants to be that guy.  So lets just leave it as is, and we will come back to this subject in a bit.  The only thought I can leave you with is:  Please god Jordy Nelson have a beast week, my Fantasy Football playoff team would really really thank you.

Am I the only person excited for the NBA to be back?  It's not the biggest spectacle in the world, but I don't know how many more reruns of 30 Rock, South Park, Storage Wars, and/or any show on the History channel I can take.  Unless we're talking American Pickers of course, that show is bad ass.

Every year I say this, but on paper, the Bucks don't have a bad team.  A starting five of:  Bogut, Jennings, Jackson, Gooden, Mbah-Moute isn't the worst thing in the world, especially when your bench still consists of Delfino... Well, actually, I just realized our bench kind of sucks, disregard!  But really, if Sanders can develop into a mediocre player and Tobias Harris is the prospect he is meant to be at the mean age of 19, maybe we still have a shot at that six seed.. Maybe.

Since I missed so much time, I feel I could type about things that the other writers here at TBC have definitely already covered forever, so I will not drowned you down with duplicate content.  But I will leave you all with a few thoughts that I really wish I had time to indulge into deeper.

• Why haven't people put Hazelnut creamer in Hot Chocolate since it's been invented?  If you've never done this before, you are welcome.
• Is Tim Tebow really the second coming?
• I am exactly $1 ahead on sports betting this year.
• If you use the right keyboard app, The word "Golic" (as in Mike Golic) will autofinish to "Holocaust"
• Skip Bayless really is the worst best thing to ever happen to ESPN.
• Lee Corso is so much more of a badass after his stroke than before it.

And Winks, I still have your resume' tape, I found it on a whim yesterday, let's just say I've forgotten for the last year and a half, but it is now once again on my list of "things to do" right underneath Sara Jean Underwood and memorize every line to every episode of Community ever.  (#SaveCommunity)

I shall now go back to tweeting and I now no longer feel bad about clogging up the sites Twitter box.  Oh, and here is me trending with the trends and Tebowing like a boss, it's fantasy football karma, nothing more.  Until next time.

Questions, Comments, Concerns:  Twitter

Brewers Have Manic Monday

This in addition to all the Ryan Braun hoopla, of course...

Milwaukee kicked off the action on Monday by first signing Aramis Ramirez to a three year deal. This was a great signing by the Brewers, because other than Prince Fielder, he was the best power hitter left as a free agent. Also this will fill a hole at either first base or third base for the Crew, and it gives you a clean up hitter. Not knowing what will happen with Braun yet it is nice to have a a back up plan. The deal looks to be somewhere in the 34-37 million dollar range, so it comes to about 12 million a year for Ramirez. I just hope he can continue to put up numbers like he has through age 36.

After filling a hole at third or first base the Brewers were able to move Casey McGehee, as he was traded to the Pirates for reliever Jose Veras. Veras was the set up man for the Pirates last season, and with the Brewers losing both Hawkins and Saito this was a good move for the crew. He will not be the set up man if the Crew doesn't trade Rodriguez which could still happen. Either way Veras pitched 71 innings last year with 79 strikeouts, so he should be a good play for the Crew.

Last but not least the Brewers signed George Kottaras to a one year deal. He was a solid back up catcher for the Crew behind Lucroy. I like the signing because he knows the pitching staff, and you know what your going to get from him. For his price tag,  which should be around the 500,000 range, this is a solid re-sign by the Brewers. He can also fill in at first base if the Brewers test the water with a few guys, and it doesn't work out. Either way we are getting a solid player for a cheap price so you just have to agree with this move.

Packers Roll Raiders, Move To 13-0

On the Packers second play on offense Ryan Grant broke off a 47 yard touchdown run. This team isn't used to getting rushing touchdowns, so you had to figure it was going to be a good game. Then on the Raiders next  possession they had a big screen passed called back because of holding, got a false start on the next play, and then punted to the Packers. The Packers went 80 yards on 10 plays to make it 14-0, and it was in cruise control from here on out. Rodgers hit Ryan Taylor for a 4 yard touchdown, and both guys that scored the first two touchdowns were Packers that haven't scored yet this season. Erik Walden would later score and add his name to the list of new Packers to score their first touchdown of the year. The Pack would go to 13-0 as they beat the Raiders 46-16.

The defense also came out to play as they picked off Palmer four times, and also scored on the aforementioned fumble recovery. After last week and the giving up of all those big plays to the Giants, it was nice to see the defense limit those opportunities. Charles Woodson had a nice pick after getting his concussion last week. Also fill in linebackers D.J. Smith and Rob Francois had INT's. They still only had one sack, as Frank Zombo got that when the game was basically over. It would be nice to see them get a little more pressure on the QB. Clay almost got a sack early, but caused Palmer to rush the throw which was picked off by D.J. Smith.

On the injury front the Packers might have lost a key player for some time. Greg Jennings was carted off the field with an apparent knee injury. No word yet on what is wrong with him, but we just hope he will be able to play come the first playoff game. At this point the Packers essentially have home field for the playoffs. They beat the Saints, and the 49ers would have to win out with the Packers not winning one more game. Don't see that happenings. Even without Jennings the Packers are still a team that can win games. It would just be nice to have him for the big play threat, and the over the middle hands he has. I guess only time will tell how long he will be out.

Rodgers was pulled in the third quarter, so I started to pay more attention to Tebow and the Broncos (as did the entire Packers press box). I didn't watch Flynn play much, and it looks like he only threw a few times. He got sacked for a safety as the Raiders pinned the Packers at the 1 yard line on a punt. Also I saw him throw one deep ball that he lead the receiver out of bounds. When you get put into the game with a huge lead it is hard to maybe yourself look good. The goal is really to run the clock out, so you don't get much of a chance to throw it around the yard.

The talk of the undefeated season is now heating up, and I feel they should go for it. I get what people are saying about injuries, but I just don't get why you would risk taking away from this high the Packers are on. They have the feeling right now that they can win any game at any stadium. All it takes in one loss to mess up what they have worked on so hard this season. Injuries can happen at anytime, but you have to play the game. I don't think they should play every minute of every game if they get a lead, but it just makes them a better team if they are constantly trying to win every game.

Next up for the Packers are the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. This will be the last road game of the year, and this should be a win for the Packers. The Chiefs fired Todd Haley Monday after the Chiefs lost to the Jets 37-10 Sunday. It has been tough this year for the Chiefs after they lost Jamaal Charles, Matt Cassel, and Eric Berry to injuries. I just think Todd Haley is kind of a strange person and would never really coach this team to where they want to be. If the Packers can go in get a win Sunday they would clinch home field for the playoffs. This will be a noon start for the Packers, and we hope to have more information on Greg Jennings soon.

Really, David Stern?

After the NBA lockout David Stern wanted to make teams fair, and not stack up huge market teams. But on Thursday night a trade went down involving the Hornets, Lakers, and Rockets. This is how the trade was going to breakdown:

Hornets "would" have got - 

Lamar Odom

Luis Scola

Kevin Martin

Goran Gragic

2012 first round pick from the originally from New York

Rockets "would" have got -

Pau Gasol

Lakers "would" have got -

Chris Paul

Okay I'm not going to say that this wouldn't help the Lakers a lot, but this would also make the Hornets an actual NBA team instead of a squad with one superstar and a ton of roster holes. Let's review this trade. First off you are taking a post player and rebounder like Gasol off the Lakers. Also you are taking one of the best sixth men in the league Lamar Odom off the Lakers. The only player your adding is a guy that can put up 18 points a game, and 10 assists a game. The Hornets on the other hand are getting three solid players that could make them a decent team.

Second, word is going around that the Cavs owner is the first guy to say something in this case. Well last time I checked these are three Western Conference teams. So why would any of the Eastern Conference teams have a say in this?

Third, the Hornets are owned by the NBA right now. The only way someone would want to buy that team is if they have players there that want to play. I can't imagine that since Chris Paul was singled out he is going to play with much will. David West is out the door for the Hornets, and they are rebuilding. The only way you can rebuild is bringing in new players, and getting draft picks. That's what this trade would have done, but now it won't. Instead now you have a team that will lose Chris Paul at the end of the season, and get nothing for him. I don't know who in their right mind would buy this team now, so good luck with all that Stern.

And how do any of the players who were involved with this trade just go back to their team and act like nothing happened. Being traded is like being told your fired, but then getting a call Monday telling you to come back to work. How many people would go back to work, and work their ass off? It will be interesting to see if these players involved have a good year or not. I just don't think their hearts will be in it as much as they would have if this trade would have went down. We're seeing that now with Odom not wanting to go back to the Lakers and has since been traded to the Mavs.

Now don't get me wrong the Lakers would have been a heavy favorite to win the title, and I still think they are. I just feel it might have helped some other teams start the rebuilding process to give them a fighting chance also. Instead now you just have the Lakers still a championship team, and now the Hornets and Rockets will be playing for a Lottery pick. Also this means that the NBA will determine if trades can be done or not I guess. Just doesn't seem right for a league that is already cutting its season short.

Overall I can see what the NBA is doing, but it needs to realize that this trade was sending good players to other teams. I'm a huge CP3 fan and I have never really liked the Lakers, so I was worried how I would handle this trade. After I heard it was blocked by the NBA I was just in shock, and lost a lot of respect for  David Stern. If you want to make your team better you have to trade with the better teams. If it takes one guy to get four back well that's what you have to do to win. The teams are going to appeal the trade veto, but I just don't see this overturning, and now we know that it won't. The Lakers have pulled out of Paul talks completely. Overall I hope from now on these trades wont be released, before they are shut down.

Elsewhere, on Friday the NBA signing period began and the Bucks signed Mike Dunleavy to a two year deal. I know the Bucks have a lot of SG/SF, but Dunleavy is a sharp shooter. This team was awful on offense last year, so maybe he can be the spark off the bench they need.

Milwaukee also matched the tender for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, so he will remain a Buck on a 4 year deal worth 19 million. This a good move by the Bucks after getting Dunleavy to help the offense you need to keep your defensive players around. I think the Bucks have a team to make things interesting, but we will have to see if they play like they are actually capable of.

Badger End Two Game Slide

Wisconsin is coming off of two losses, but were able to take some frustration out on UW-Green Bay Wednesday night. The Badgers are coming off a tough loss to North Carolina, and a surprise home defeat from Marquette. As well as the Badgers played against UNC it was a little odd to see them get beat by Marquette at home. The Badgers faced UWGB looking to get some pieces of the puzzle back together, and that is what they did. Wisconsin took down UWGB Wednesday night 70-42.

This season the Badgers seem to be living and dying by the three, but the key for them still is . Wisconsin only allowed one person on Green Bay to score in double figures. Jordan Taylor on the other hand had a rough night shooting, but dished out 10 assists. Taylor also finished with 15 points, but was 1-4 from downtown. Green Bay was lead by Alec Brown with 10 points.

The big men for Wisconsin had good nights. Ryan Evans had 14 points, and 6 rebounds. Jared Berggren finished with 13 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Those are huge stat lines for the Wisconsin front court. I think for Wisconsin to be a threat this year they need to have a post up game. If they are making three pointers they will win games, but if they are off Wisconsin seems to have no second option. They need to drive to the hoop so they can get to the line more. It is still early in the season, so nothing to panic about right now. At the end of the year this will be a team that will win games. Next up is UNLV Saturday at home, but this will be no walk in the park. UNLV beat UNC earlier this year, so this will be a big game for the Badgers.

Marquette Stays Undefeated

Washington pushed Marquette to the limit, but in the end Jae Crowder (pictured above) kept Marquette perfect on the season. Everyone has heard the Jimmy V speech, and every time I hear it I get goose bumps. So it was fitting that one of the Jimmy V classic games came right down to the wire.  Both teams made big shot after big shot until Crowder hit a 3 with 6.3 seconds to go. Washington would go on to miss a 3 badly at the buzzer for a Marquette 79-77 win. I was trying to enjoy watching Home Alone 2 on ABC Family Tuesday night, but this thrilling game was just too hard to look away from.

Still, the Golden Eagles came out looking rusty after an impressive showing against the Badgers Saturday. Four minutes into the game Tuesday night Washington was out to an early 13-4 lead. After a TV timeout Marquette started getting things together, but never got up by a large amount. Marquette took its first lead of the game 27-26 with six minutes to go in the first half. Marquette's largest lead was 5 points, and lead by 4 at halftime.

Darius Johnson-Odom lead the way with 23 points. I talked about Crowder making the game winning shot, and he finished with 18 points. The thing about Crowder is he only had 2 points in the first half. So good to see he stayed confident and had a huge second half. Another player that has been playing well for the Golden Eagles is Todd Mayo. Mayo, who is the younger brother of O.J. Mayo, finished the game with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Marquette moves to 8-0 on the season, and are just out of the top ten, ranked number 11 in the nation. Next up for Marquette is UW-Green Bay  on Saturday. Marquette should be able to stay undefeated when UWGB comes to Milwaukee. Once Big East play starts I think we will really get a feel for how good Marquette is going to be. As it stands right now this could be a very dangerous team this year.

Checking in on the Winter Meetings

Jose Reyes was on the list of players the Brewers were looking at. They will have to start looking a different way. Reyes signed with the Marlins for 6 years, $106 million. I guess I was still a little shocked that everyone felt like he was the missing the piece here in Milwaukee. I guess making him the lead off hitter, and moving Braun to the four hole would be best. But either way this will not be happening, so lets move on to the next potential piece of the puzzle.

One piece that will be missing is Jerry Hairston Jr after he signed with the Dodgers. For what Hairston did for us at the end of last season this is a huge loss for the Crew. Without him the Brewers will be in need of a utility player. I think Melvin might be a little caught off guard by this move. The only thing I can think of as to why Hairston really wanted to leave is that Los Angeles is a tad more attractive climate-wise than Milwaukee.. He will be missed, but there is still a lot of talent out there for Melvin to sign.

There are whispers about the Brewers talking to Jimmy Rollins, but I would rather see them go after Rafeal Furcal. If they have no intention of bring Yuni B back I would think Furcal would be the next best fit. If you lose a guy like Hairston Jr you can't take risks with people that could get hurt. Rollins seems like more of a risk than Furcal.

Personally, I think the Brewers should offer Mark DeRosa a contract. He can fill in many positions, and could fill the hole that Hairston left. Melvin seems to always find good utility guys, so I have faith in him. Also DeRosa could fill the void left when Kotsay signed with the Padres. Either way the Brewers have a lot of work to do ahead of them.

Bucks 66 Game Schedule

The Milwaukee Bucks will have only one back to back to back game this year. They have four games on NBA TV and they have one game on ESPN. They finish the season with 10 of the last 15 games at home. Check out the schedule here, and check back later on a preview of the season.

Packers Stay Undefeated, Barely

The picture above doesn't look like a team that is celebrating after improving to 12-0 and hours away from clinching the NFC North. They look like a team that needed a huge win, but nevertheless that is what they got on Sunday. At this point in time I don't know what else the Packers can do to win a game. They've won every which way possible. In this one, with the game tied at 35 with 58 seconds to go the Packers started at their own 20. From there Rodgers did what he does best, and that was completing passes to four different people to set up the game winning field goal. The Packers won the game 38-35.

On the first pass of the drive Rodgers threw a bullet to Finley, and the defender took a chance but got burned. Finley ran for 14 yards after the catch for a 24 yard play. The next play was the key play. Rodgers hit Nelson with the perfect fade thrown for 27 yards. The Packers then tried to catch the Giants off guard with a screen to Saine, but lost a yard. Then "Da Greg Jennings" was found on the left side of the field for 18 yards. The three long passes were just darts thrown by Rodgers, and he again proved he is playing like no one else has ever played. Being able to run, and throw on the run is what is putting Rodgers above the rest.

12-0 is a perfect record, but this team is far from perfect. Things that really stood out Sunday were giving up the big plays on defense, and the dropped balls on the offense. The third play of the game went for 67 yards to former Badger Travis Beckum. Jacobs and Bradshaw had some big runs at times. Also Nicks and Cruz seemed to always be wide open. I understand when you lose Woodson and when you start backup  linebackers, things will be difficult. And on offense the dropping of passes is going to happen, but at the rate the Packers were doing it yesterday it almost cost them the game. Finley has had a case of the drops all season, but to many other people dropped balls.

I'm not going to write a huge negative post, because I just like where this team is at right now. You could tell by the reaction of this team after that win yesterday they know they can be better. The Packers were never really in control, but this game never looked for a minute like they would have got beat. I almost felt better when the Giants made the two point then I would have if they would have missed it. I just feel if we do get beat this year it will be because of a bad bounce by the ball. I didn't want to see an onside kick at all. I trusted Rodgers more than I trusted our hands team. There is no doubt that this is a skilled team, and none of these wins have been by luck.

Sitting at 12-0 the Packers will still talk about the one game at a time thing, but being this deep into something like this You know they are going to work their butts off to win every game this year. As far as the rest of the NFL goes we are still hearing about Tebow, the Cowboys, and the 0-12 Colts. I guess as far as a news stance this is the best way it could be for the Packers right now. Next up are the Raiders as they come to Green Bay. I guess this game will be a matter of what Raider team shows up. The one that runs all over teams, and plays defense? Or the Raiders team we saw Sunday get owned by the Dolphins? Sunday at 3:15 the Packers can say they will look to be 1-0 on the day, but as a fan we are all keeping our eye on 13-0.

Listen to Winks and Brian Carriveau Talk Pack on K107.1/Cheesehead TV.

Badgers Win The Big Ten

It started just like the first time the two teams met, but this time the ending was different. Wisconsin got out to an early lead, but then Michigan State starting playing like the better team. In the end this time though the Badgers were the ones who could smell the roses. Montee Ball played this game like there was no way he would let Michigan State walk out a champion. He finished the game with 4 touchdowns, and also scored the game winning score with 4:45 left in the game.

It looked real easy when the Badgers scored 21 points in the first quarter. The only problem was the Spartans made it look even easier scoring 22 points in the second quarter. I'm not sure why Michigan State decided to go for a two point conversion, but I have a feeling that might have come up in the halftime speech.

Going into half I really didn't feel like the Badgers had it in them. It seemed like they had been out played, and they were not going to recover from the 22 straight points. Yet in the third quarter the Badgers were the first to get on the score board. Wilson, who didn't play great but played well, hit Abberderis on a 42 yard touchdown. Michigan State would respond to make it an eight point game after three quarters.

The Badgers were going to need an awesome fourth quarter. Early in the quarter the Badgers cut the State lead to two points on a Ball touchdown. After that touchdown I was at a Christmas party for work, and I blew my knee out on the dance floor. I had to go to the ER, and would see the trophy presentation in room 15 at Fond du Lac's St. Agnes Hospital. So I had no clue the Badgers won till I got back to my room from X-rays to see the picture I found above on my crappy tube TV in my ER room. This might be a game I never forget for two reasons. The first one being the Badgers won the first ever Big Ten Title game. The second reason is I wrecked my knee doing a round house kick at my Christmas work party.

Next up should be the Rose Bowl, but according to the announcers Saturday night the Badgers won the Big 12 so who knows. The Badgers will play the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, and this will be no walk in the park. Both teams have great offensive teams, but lack on the defensive side of the ball. I guess it will come down to which defense can step it up. I really think this is going to be one of the better bowl games, because of the high power offensive match up. The only negative I have with this game is it will be played on a Monday at like 4:30 in the afternoon. I know a lot of people have off of work that day, but I don't so I find this really lame. College Football needs to figure out this crap, and make these post season games more accessible. For now it's so long Badger football, we will see you in a month on January 2nd out in Pasadena.

Lets Get It Started

The NBA will be coming out with the schedule on Tuesday for the shorten NBA season. There will be five games on Christmas day, but the Bucks won't start till Dec. 26th or 27th. With the Packers winning all the time I really haven't missed the NBA at all, but hearing some trade rumors, free agents picks, and people staying overseas to play as started to peak my interest. But I think what really got me excited was when I received an email about fantasy basketball. That's when I knew that it will soon be time to Get It Started, as they say.

Either way, on Tuesday we will learn when/who the Bucks will be playing in their 66 games this year. How many times they will play back to back to back games this season? Every time will have the three straight nights of games, and some teams may have to do it up to three times on the season. I have to say I'm glad the NBA is back, and lets hope some of these trades go down to make this stuff more interesting.

North Carolina Bests Badgers

North Carolina defeated Wisconsin 60-57 last night delivering the Badgers their first loss of the season. There are far more positives than negatives to take from this game, though.

First and foremost, Wisconsin hung tough on the home floor of one of the best teams in the nation, a team many are (or were before this past weekend) calling the best team in the nation. North Carolina is very good, and their ridiculous amount of athleticism extremely contrasts Wisconsin's style of play.

The non-conference season in college basketball is much different than the non-conference season in college football. In basketball, it's about learning about your team and preparing your team for the conference season. This is especially true for Wisconsin, a team with three new starters. You want tough games that test your team, and in b-ball, a few losses really do not hurt you in the long run.

And it wasn't just that Wisconsin hung in with UNC, it is that they did on an off night. 36% from the field, 50% from the free throw line (only 6 free throws attempted, all by Taylor), and 28.6% from the 3-point line. Wisconsin did not run their offensive very well, but still controlled the tempo. That kept them in the game despite their poor shooting.

A few other positives - Jared Berggren seems to be molding into a very good player. He stepped up inside and outside on a night when Breueswitz was scoreless due in large part to foul trouble. He showed he is not just a big white guy that can shoot 3's. Ryan Evans was strong on defense and more importantly, on the glass. Ben Brust is an exciting young prospect, but still a work in progress as exhibited by a few very bad shots.

Things weren't all roses though. I already mentioned the lack of free throws. That's a byproduct of the larger problem, over-reliance on the 3-pointer. We see this pretty much any time that Wisconsin struggles. The swing offense is not providing any good looks, so we revert to the 3ball. And in pretty much every close game we have 4-8 minutes spans where there are just no good shots. It ends up going to Jordan Taylor in the last 10 seconds of the shot clock and comes down to him either forcing a shot on the drive or hoisting a three as the shot clock winds down.

This then points to the second problem. It looks like their won't be a true second scorer, which is fine. Someone different will step up every night. The problem is we need a second ball-handler, someone else that can pose a threat to take the ball to the hoop or at least get into the lane and dish it off to the open guys. If there is no penetration, our outside shooting is at a great detriment.

Now these aren't new problems for Wisconsin. They have always been there under Bo Ryan. Our best teams had guys who could make their own shot when the system wasn't working and the shot clock was running down - Devin Harris, Alando Tucker, and now Jordan Taylor. We need that second ball handler, though so entire load does not rest on Taylor.

All and all, this game bodes well for Wisconsin. We have a good team, a growing team, but not very deep. We have the correct pieces in place I believe to address some of the problems above. As I mentioned in the preview, I think a lot of success will be determined by if Gasser or Brust can step up.

And it's great to measure success for Wisconsin Basketball in terms of being in the Top 10. That is the benchmark, what we should aim for. This team might not be a top 10 team yet, but I do see them growing into one as the season moves forward.

Chattin' Cheese With Carriveau

Ever since I came to the high school class he thought as a guest speaker for jobs in television the week after I quit television, I knew that Brian Carriveau and I were taking the first steps on our road to greatness together. Three years later, he writes for Cheesehead TV and I host a morning radio show. On Mondays and Fridays, we talk Packers, and that's what we did this week as we recapped the Packers win against the Lions as well as other NFC North action. The audio is always available for you beneath the K107.1/Cheesehead TV dual logo, or since I've decided to write a separate post on the topic here's the most recent podcast.

A Brief, Late Badgers Basketball Preview

It appears I'm about two weeks late with this Badgers Basketball preview. That's ok, we now have a few non-conference games to shed a little more light on the 2011-2012 Wisconsin Badgers.

Wisconsin currently sits at 6-0. You can't really determine too much for easy wins over Kennesaw State, Colgate, Wofford, or UMKC, but this weekend's victories in the prestigious Chicago Invitational Challenge over Bradley and BYU are somewhat nice. At least those teams are mid-majors.

The team this year will obviously revolve around pre-season All-American Jordan Taylor. It's important that Taylor doesn't try to do too much. He needs to balance facilitating his teammates with scoring points. He needs to dominate the game - tempo, scoring, and distributing.

The rest of the team is far less proven. Taylor will be joined in the backcourt by Josh Gasser with Ryan Evans at the small forward and Mike Bruesewitz and Jared Berggren down low. It looks like Ben Brust will be an important contributor off the bench.

Let's take a look at a few of the keys to the season for Wisconsin.

1. Jared Berggren down low - It's a given that Wisconsin will have big white guys that can shoot. The question is, can they get big down low? That is the question for Berggren on both offense and defense. He will need to defend guys like Jared Sullinger and Trevor Mbakwe. As inconsistent as Keaton Nankivil was on offense, he was strong on D and I think will be a a bigger loss than Leuer. Breggren will need to D up and rebound and at least provide the possibility of a low post game for the Badgers to keep their outside shooters open.

2. Ryan Evan's mid range jumper - It's clear Evans is not a 3-point shooter, but we need his athleticism out there. He will consistently have wide open mid-range jumpers. He needs to make those. This may seem small, but it will really open up Taylor and our other outside guys and keep the swing swinging.

3a. Josh Gasser - Gasser is a good player, but we need him to be more than just a Mike Kelley or Joe Krabbenhoft. He needs to be a scorer and second ball handler to free up Taylor. I'm not sure he is ready to take up this role.

3b. Ben Brust - So this one wouldn't have been in my preview had this been a true pre-season post, but after actually getting to see a few games, it looks like Brust will be an important 6th man. He's got wild range, plus he seems to be the secondary ball handler and point guard when Taylor is out.

These are just a few important things to look for this season. As far as predictions go, there is no reason why Wisconsin shouldn't again challenge for the Big Ten. The conference is down this year and Wisconsin will always win at the Kohl Center. Ohio State should win the conference, but I can't see the Badgers being worse than 2nd or 3rd. Normal powers like Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois will be down and teams like Michigan and Minnesota are always picked to do well but never really produce. Look for Indiana to be better and Northwestern to possibly make the NCAA tourney for the first time ever.

Overall, the Badgers are not currently a top ten team, but the way Bo Ryan teams improve over the course of the season, things could be different come March. Wisconsin should continue to be a good team, but not really a great team.

Tune in Wednesday for our first true measuring stick - at North Carolina and then Marquette in Madison.

Bring on Sparty

This season did not exactly go as Badgers fans wished, but at least we get another shot at Michigan State in the first ever Big Ten Championship game. A shot at revenge and a little bit of vindication.

I don't think anyone was really worried about Penn State. They have all their internal drama going on, plus they are not that good of a team. There was a lot of talk about their great defense, but Wisconsin's run/pass combo was much too much for the Nittany Lions to handle. It was business as usual for the Badgers at home this season. 4 more TD's for Montee Ball, bringing his season total to 34, now second on the all-time NCAA list. All he does is score touchdowns. ( Just a quick aside, if you have time, check out the stats on Barry Sanders' 1988 season. 39 touchdowns in 11 games! This number does not even include his 5 touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl. That's 44 TDs in 12 games. 3.66 per game. Staggering.) Across the board this season's stats are pretty sick for Wisconsin. Russell Wilson with the best pass efficiency rating ever. 28 TDs and only 3 ints. Wisconsin with an amazing Red Zone TD score %. I'm pretty sure that stat is usually measured in just scoring, TDs and field goals, but Wisconsin is so good they just measure it in touchdowns. Dominance at Camp Randall, outscoring opponents 359 - 75. Wow.

Some amazing stats for sure, but with those stats, with this dominate season, should we not have more? Am I too greedy? I don't think so. Yesterday the "what ifs" continued to abound. The obvious one, what if we defended two last second bombs? The answer to that would be easy. We'd be the #2 team in the nation. What if we just beat Ohio State? That one is a bit more interesting. Would we be the best one loss team? Probably not in the polls, but I think Badger Nation would have a legitimate argument for a National Championship shot. I mean, who wants to see LSU/'Bama again? Not this guy. But alas, sports is full of "what ifs" and "could have beens". The reality is Wisconsin 10-2 and headed to the Big Ten Championship game against a good Michigan State team. Would a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl victory erase those painful loses? No, but they would make this a successful season. So next Saturday night I will try to suspend my imagination and enjoy the awesome 2011 Wisconsin Badgers. I have very strong dislike for Michigan State, even approaching hatred in recent years. So let's go out there and show them what Wisconsin football is all about and bring home a trophy in the process.