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
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

Come On Finley

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.
Milwaukee Bucks Season Preview

Rodgers Sticks up for Braun
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.
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.
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

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.
Packers Roll Raiders, Move To 13-0

Really, David Stern?

Rockets "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.
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.
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.
Badger End Two Game Slide
Marquette Stays Undefeated
Checking in on the Winter Meetings
Bucks 66 Game Schedule
Packers Stay Undefeated, Barely

Listen to Winks and Brian Carriveau Talk Pack on K107.1/Cheesehead TV.
Badgers Win The Big Ten
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.
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.
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Archives
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2011
(485)
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December
(17)
- The End of ProFootballTrash.com
- Greg Stiemsma Leads NBA in Blocks Per Game
- Come On Finley
- Milwaukee Bucks Season Preview
- Rodgers Sticks up for Braun
- James Smizek: The Comeback
- Brewers Have Manic Monday
- Packers Roll Raiders, Move To 13-0
- Really, David Stern?
- Badger End Two Game Slide
- Marquette Stays Undefeated
- Checking in on the Winter Meetings
- Bucks 66 Game Schedule
- Packers Stay Undefeated, Barely
- Badgers Win The Big Ten
- Lets Get It Started
- North Carolina Bests Badgers
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October
(24)
- Not Really the Dream Season We Expected
- Pack Fan Bears Fan Week 7 - OK...I'm Sorry
- Packers Under The Radar at 7-0
- So Who's Printing the WHINEsconsin Shirts?
- Badgers National Championship Hopes Dashed
- Pack Fan Bears Fan Week 6 - No Apologies
- Winsconsin Is Also Coversconsin
- Brewers Simply Not Good Enough in NLCS
- Packers Still Overshadowed at 6-0
- Wolf, Brewers Even Things Up
- Staying Positive, Against the Odds
- Written in the Stars is Awful, But...
- Wisconsin Success Highlighted by Brewers
- Aaron Rodgers and Michael Vick are Not So Good as ...
- Packers Look Unbeatable
- Chris Carpenter is a Big Fat Phony
- Home Sweet Home Field Advantage
- The Arizona Diamondbacks?!!
- NLDS tied 2-2
- Packers Success = No Favre Talk Please
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December
(17)
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Bucky Channel Book Club
Coach Greg Winkler Explains How to Make Your Season a Significant One. Click on the book for more details!









