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Look who's back. Graham Pills. Look who's back. Paul Imig. Hey, Paul.
Hey, Paul. Let's go, boys. I'm ready. Great to see you both. This video, of course, brought to you by Dan Shaney Insurance.
Will be on the audio, it will be us and then. My fourth annual. Interview with Bart Lundy, head coach of the Panthers, prior to the start of the season. You can see my new Panther swag tilt the floor. I'm all in.
What is Bart Lundy's real first name? We're gonna say Bart. But what is it not though, right? I don't know. I'm not, I don't know if I'm at liberty to say.
Ah, I see. But we're going by Bart and Bart. And when I was trick-or-treating, I met another, well, I know another, there's... There's there's like barts all over my town. Real bards or fake bards?
Real Bart lives two blocks from me. Hmm. And I just found out one of my buddies. College girlfriend lives down the street. I heard you tell this story, actually.
In a really creepy way.
Well, yeah, I was like, where do you live? She's like, I think I saw you. I go, what is your house number? Yeah. And she told me, and then I told her.
And I haven't seen her yet though. Yeah. That's probably a good thing. It kind of sounds sounds questionable. A lot of things I do are questionable.
Uh Paul.
So since I think we last got together, what happened? The Brewers. Got no installed. Yeah. I don't know if you've watched that yet.
I'm in the third inning of last night's game. What happens? Oh, God. I'm just kidding. The brewers got bounced.
Shohei Otani is having a Unbelievable playoff. Hey, are you guys ready? Are you even more ready for the automatic strike zone after last night's bullshit? Yeah. I went to bed.
That doesn't phase you. Like, that should infuriate you. I can't feel anything anymore. As it pertains to baseball.
Okay. I was excited that I got to come home and still watch the game. Once I knew the game was going late, I wanted to be able to be on my couch and watching it. Oh. I didn't want the game to end, and then I was able to come home and watch it, and I really didn't want it to end.
I wanted to be up till like 4:30. For like Why did you stay up? Oh, I had to watch the World Series, but you didn't, though. Right, you didn't need to watch it, but I wanted to be like, Look at me, I'm so brave. What time did it end Central Time to 1:51?
1:51. 1:51. And uh of course we knew it would be a walk-off home run. We knew that. Max Muncie hit the home run in 2018 in the 18 inning game.
And he's still on the team.
So, I thought it would be him again. But of course, it's Freddie Freeman. And let me bring up this take that I had on the show last night, and we can start here. Um I talked about the Brewers playing the Dodgers. And you know how we lose and then we're always like, God, we need that team to lose.
And somehow we get more invested in them losing than we were our team winning the previous round? Like, I want the Packers to beat the Niners. But I need the Niners to lose this game. Yeah, sure. Like it's weird.
I didn't feel that way with the Dodgers. It's the Dodgers, it's baseball, it's whatever. This sucks, it's happened before. I didn't feel that way. I started to feel that way last night.
Interesting. And I felt that way when I saw Shohei Otani clapping. Because he was clapping not in front of his chest. But he was like a high clapper.
Okay, he's clapping high. And I go to Carlos. And I'm just like, Carlos. I feel like what I'm about to say is. Illegal and almost as controversial as anything I've ever said, or will an elicited opinion that.
that people are going to be really mad at me for and think I'm a bozo or I suck or whatever. I said, I don't. Think I like Shohei Otani. And he says, I don't like Shohei because he gambled and he got away with it. That's what Carlos said.
And you know, based as quickly as that got swept under the rug. But then I also said, I know if I was alive during Babe Ruth. I would have been like, how the fuck is this fat fuck still cranking balls? I've been pissed. In between hot dogs and beers.
And what I told Carlos, too, just to rehash my whole show, is. It's not like Babe Ruth was playing against plumbers. And you know, milkmen like Bob Cousy in the NBA in the 50s. Babe Ruth is playing against guys that were still like. Their last name was their trade, like blacksmith.
You know, favorite played that long ago.
Okay. I would have hated his guts, man, if I was back in the day. I just know my controversial take is: I'm not sure I like Shohei. We're watching history every night. I'm not sure I'm into it.
And I think I'm a little scarred too because I saw a video of him just like chatting with Cameron Brink. Hey, you're so tall. And then he just doesn't. That was from a couple years ago, right? Yeah, I mean he know you you know, I d you know, I It's hard to get acclimated in I get it, but I feel like we celebrate this guy a lot.
And his accomplishments. And, you know, we think like he, we think he's a great guy. He smiles and he claps and he laughs and he. pretends to start warming up in the locker room after the game, but Do we know anything about him? No.
Yeah. And I find that off-putting.
So. Do you do you typically though Are you prone to dislike a sports super duperstars in general? Like when they when guys get too big, too good, too Prominent Mahomes, Brady. LeBron. He should be.
Ron's the worst of the bunch. No, I'm not anti. I'm. I'm a If you're not from Cleveland and you're still pro-LeBron and you're not a Lakers fan in 2025, like, I don't know what to tell you. It's not that I'm pro-LeBron.
There's. There's a lot of anti-LeBron I have. I think he's super lame and detached from reality. I don't think he lives in the same world as me. Not even close.
Of course he doesn't. Right. But to degrees that most professional athletes who already don't live in our world. LeBron is on six planets, dimensions, whatever, galaxies removed from even that. Uh I think he's a turd.
I think Tucker Kraft lives in my world. I think Ducker Kraft is miles in my shoes every day and not be phased. If you, like, if you found out you were cousins, like, I'd be like, no, like, that totally tracks. Yeah. You're both big and tall and mustached and drink beer and smoke things.
I just connected that he lives in Timber Lake, like Justin Timber Lake. Jesus Christ. Timberlake should play there. Another great bit from my show last night, if I may. Can I say the most impressive thing Tucker Craig?
How's it feel? Sucks. Yeah. I didn't think there wasn't a big enough pause. I should have waited.
But I just thought the most impressive thing Tucker Kraft did in Sunday Night's game was what? Oh, headbutt the helmet. That was cool. That was dumb. Oh, the kip when he got up.
The kip up is so like that. Is when you're like, oh, this guy's a freak athlete. To do that in full football pads. Another thing that I have in crafted Tucker Common, in common with Tucker Kraft. Tim, what were you going to say, Bart?
What was the other brilliant joke that you had in last night's show?
Sorry. Go ahead, Bart. Not a brilliant joke, just something I want to. Say here also. We were doing guess what they said.
And Jerry Jones had a quote. And it was What do you attribute the Broncos' recent success to?
So what do you think Jerry Jones would say? The Walton family, the ownership?
Well, I mean, you're right. Oh, okay. Oh, Sean Payton, you know, we wanted him. We looked at him for a long time. And then Jerry Jones, like.
Now it's the ownership group. I felt so bad to think for a minute a rich person would give credit to even a noob like Sean Payton. Of course he's gonna. gloss all over the Ownership group. You know, not a lot of us can afford all these fancy sports teams.
That's why we need promo codes. Promo code BART. 25% off each and every order at happyplacehemp.com. Had that 20%. Milligram Seltzer the other night after the uh postgame show.
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Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com/slash terms for more. Uh polymic. Take it away, Paul. All right.
We haven't talked for a while, so I'm gonna do a couple of like bigger picture ones, not that they aren't typically that. Um long form. Long form. Long form big picture. often hypothetical.
Though this one's not. I want to see if we can agree on, or if we do agree on, or how differently we feel about the five best Packers this season so far have been. In some order. Tucker Craft. Jordan love.
Micah Parsons. Rashawn Gary. Romeo Dobbs. Craft love. Parsons, Gary, Dobbs.
No particular order. Those have been the five best Packers so far this season. Or mm-mm. Would you have to throw an offensive lineman in there? I don't know.
And if you did, it would be Zach Tom, but he was hurt. I don't think so.
So I don't think there is. I just can't. Look at the offensive line. I never ever do. I never know who's in.
I never know who's playing on what side. I know for a long time I was like, oh, I love the trenches and You're being trying to get yeah, obviously, I was being an asshole. But I don't even see it. I don't even see them. I don't look at them.
I don't like some of these people are like, Oh shit, Jenkins just moved to the fucking left. How are you noticing that? Why are you noticing that? I think the only time you're seeing that, though, I mean, don't I don't know who you're referring to, but that's a very press box thing to do. Not just because of the way you're covering the game, but because you have the right vantage point.
I don't know how you see that on TV. I mean, I guess if you're like. Eagle-eyed and paying full attention at every split second, but it's a good, it's an easy thing to do in the press box. It's a really hard thing to do in any other circumstance. But I would still say that the amount of coverage.
And with all due respect, 'cause they're the ones that keep the piles moving. Of course. I've always thought football, and I hate flag football, so I don't want it to go to that, but I've always thought football. Wasted five spots by having an offensive line. It's just like five guys playing football and they just have to stand there and block.
And yet, I'm sure you would agree that, like, You must, though, notice the teams who have bad offensive lines, right? Because the QBs are just constantly under fire. No. Like, even if you're not like, oh, I think that was a great block by Rashawn by the backfield. I'm never looking at the blocks.
Well, maybe you should watch the all 22. People are like, oh, Micah Parsons is getting held every time. I'm like, I guess. I will not pay any attention. One of the easiest times to watch the offensive line, though, is when they are going against a Parsons, a Miles Garrett, because it's just.
you have to watch them because the guy across is such a wrecking ball, but Um craft, love. Parsons, Gary Dobbs, no particular order. Those have been the five best Packers so far this season. Mm-hmm. Or mm-mm.
Lock craft podcast. Parsons. Lock those two in.
Okay, I agree. I think those are the top two in some order. I would put love in the top three. I think so. Yeah, love.
I wouldn't slam the table for love as hard as I would the other two. Those two are easy. Yeah. I mean, I think Dobbs is. Wide receiver one.
I think so, yeah. The fifth? Fuck. I don't know. I mean I don't think jobs is top five.
I think they still do.
So nominate, w is it Wyatt? I don't watch the lines. Is it Nixon? I don't watch the secondary. Nixon has been a lot better than the average bear would tell you if you asked them today.
Sure. I only watch the football. Yeah. I used to do that, but then Ryan Rossillo taught me that a lot of the action actually takes place away from the ball. And you're missing so much of the action if you just watch the ball.
See, in soccer, I do watch it all.
Well, you have to, otherwise you'd shoot yourself out of boredom. Mm-hmm. Also, I also do think that actually speaks to that you really, really, really, really, really understand soccer. That's true. Because people will be like, hey, we need an assistant basketball coach, or can you help with baseball?
And I'm like. I don't want to because I don't fully understand like I know soccer better than I know English.
So I'm very comfortable. teaching that. I'm the same with tennis. I it just makes sense. It just I get every aspect of it.
Basketball, I wouldn't even know how to come up with it. I would do an hour of layup lines. Just play knockout. Your kid's like three. Or however old he is.
Just He's six and one quarter.
Okay. That means a lot to him because he's one of the smaller kids in his class, and people keep making fun of him for it. And it fucking sucks, actually.
Well, that's a life lesson. Yeah. We could have held him back, but I didn't want to do that. What about I need that NIL money as soon as I can get it? Quay Walker or Edgar and Cooper?
What about one of those two? I thought Cooper started the season slow for sure. I'm going to nominate Daniel Whalen. Uh Who the hell buys a Brandon McManus jersey anyway? A smart guy.
A smart guy. That was a great investment. Oh, let him know. I got two tickets for him to any game. You sure about that, bitch?
You're going to be here in fucking December? You suck. Are you I thought you were about to do that? Are you sure about it? Like, what is that?
I think you should leave Tim Robinson's campaign. Yeah, McManus sucks. Hey, and they have a, I mean. I think it's too niche for us to do this in this capacity, but like. More of a short form thing.
Hosting the Wisco Sports Show. On a daily basis. I don't know if Grant has done this yet, but like. Is there, there's a kicking controversy in Green Bay. Nothing interests me less.
I, I'm, I, I, It's only been two nights, but every night before I go to sleep, I kneel on my bedroom floor and thank God the Packers. Came back to win that game because this would have been a miserable week. It would have been Matt LaFleur is the worst. Jordan Love is actually not that good. And what are we going to do about Kicker?
And I can do the Matt LaFleur thing, but the second two things make me want to. No. No, I'm going to ignore the kicker thing and hope that McManus makes two chip shots on Sunday and we never have to talk about it again. Nothing. How come Jordan Love outplays Aaron Rodgers?
And everyone's just like, yeah, well, but if Aaron Rodgers outplayed Jordan Love, we'd be talking about that for the rest of the fucking season. It was certainly noticeable that. Love I don't know. I've not seen the pro football focus grades or the yards through air. A ton of those Jordan Love plays were Check downs or quick screens that with huge run after catch.
So, like, there's something to be said if you don't want to suck a craft merchant. That's what you're saying. Maybe. But it's not like, but that doesn't mean he didn't play well. I remember when I was covering the team, Rogers had an incredible game.
It was like four touchdowns, no interceptions, a bunch of yards. It was like a perfect passer rating, and pro football focus gave him. You know, like the 13th best QB. Ranking of the week. And that became a topic because it was so disparate from What everyone else would have said.
Or did say about what a great game it was. But I would be curious. You didn't like Disparate Grand? I've never heard that word before. I liked it a lot.
I didn't see the grades on it, but I mean love played well in the His box score looked great and I thought he played well for real. Is this real part? I don't um. I just don't lose. Bart, do you lose sleep over PFF grades?
This is a real thing for a lot of people. But let me. Yeah, no, I don't. The worst one, I saw this tweet today from, I don't know who. And I've been ragging about this for years, but some guy's like, I don't fucking get it, man!
Packers are seventh in ESPN's power rankings. Who cares? Who cares? It is a data point, though, is it not? No!
PFF grades or power rankings? PFF grades. Just use your eyes. I don't know how many touchdowns Jordan Love has this year. I know he has two picks.
That's easy to remember because it's such a small number. I don't know how many passing yards he has. I don't know his pass rating. Just watch the games and use your eyes. That's 99% of what you need.
And then, if you're like, oh, I wonder what his average depth of target was, look it up if you're curious. But otherwise, like, You're getting what you. We've created this machine, this monster of stats and subscriptions and tables, and some of it's fun, but it's just, I'm just hammered over the head with it Monday through Friday. I watched the game, I got a good idea of what happened. That's enough for me.
But we got to go, you got to dig deeper and you got to break it down.
Well, as Pete says before he begins the Locked on Packers podcast, his podcast is for Packers fans that know what happened. They want to know why and how. And I understand. Jesus Christ, Pete. And I understand.
I get it. It's just like. God, I the time. And all that stuff. Hey, hey, you know what I need to figure out too?
Why is Jordan Love math as skewed as it is? Why does one Jordan Love interception equal 15 touchdowns? Like if he has 15 touchdowns. People are like, okay. And if he has one pick, it's like, fuck you, bitch.
You suck. That Mahomes pick last night to Lattimore. Like I was, I was watching at the time. And it was just kind of like they tried a back shoulder thing, it didn't work, and it was a crazy great pick. Great.
And everyone kind of came away from that going, 'Eh.' Yeah, kind of a weird play. And I get that's Mahomes. But like if love threw that pick. Like everyone goes to the internet and says, There it is. Like, you can't, like, I just, I can't buy in.
People are saying he's not Mahomes. I get he's not Mahomes, but like it is. little weird. But they're constantly going like. Jordan Love is not Aaron Rodgers, guys.
And then when he's not Aaron Rodgers, they're like, what the fuck? Wa what wrah. I don't know. Uh, I think Jordan. I'm just glad I can break sports down from a national level.
Yeah. and not have to resort to only local? Boy, if that ever happened to me again, two months. I would not be happy. Jordan Love is good.
He's one of the five. Please like and subscribe, everyone. It's more apparent and urgent. If there was only one of Quay Walker, Edgar, and Cooper, they would be in there. I don't know who the fifth would be.
I don't know. Dobbs, probably. I like Dobbs a lot. Not golden. I'll tell you that.
No, not cool. Like, I don't watch the Packers intently enough to answer that question. Interesting. I watched the ball. Yeah.
I don't even watch defense. I watch the ball. I watched the ball. I've always watched the ball, and I'm tired of hiding from it. I don't ever watch all 22.
I don't care. I'll DVR every game. I will DVR every single game with the intent the next day to watch it more. Out of focus. And I always wake up on Monday and I always delete it.
I get up. Anything else? We can do the next one. These seven Teams in the NFC, who are currently the seven best records in the NFC, Are the seven NFC teams who will make the playoffs? Mm-hmm.
Or Packers have two uh yeah. Packers, Eagles. Buccaneers. Seahawks. Lions, rams, Niners.
Packers, Eagles, Bucks, Seahawks, Lions, Rams, Forty Niners are currently one through seven in that order. They are trailed by the bears. Panthers, Cowboys. Falcons, Vikings, Commanders. etcetera.
I asked this question, and while you guys are looking it up to consider the response. I just kind of think that Like maybe the Bears in Niner swap or something or or I mean but Bears loss against it's an extremely top-heavy conference, and maybe even top-heavy league right now, where there's like. 10 to 12 Contenders in 20 to 22 complete non-entities relative to the Super Bowl. More than you it feels like it's more than usual of like The real contenders and like a bunch of real shit.
Well, their loss to the Ravens was terrible. Really, really bad. And especially because it did look like they were learning how to win. And last year they were four and two and then lost 10 in a row. They don't want to do that again.
Then again, they have the Bengals coming out, the Giants. And the Vikings who I I understand why they did what they did. But it did not work. Right. You see Matt Collis reporting today?
Our friend in the middle of the but what's more egregious is they didn't bring back Daniel Jones in a backup role. They tried though. But they didn't give enough money. They gave Carson Wentz $1.1 million. What did what did Collar say?
Well, that he has sourcing around the team and in the know that says, like, a lot of players are really unhappy with how injuries have been. Treated, and how, like, there's a disconnect between players and O'Connell. Like, the source is saying, this is how you lose a locker room. Like, people are not happy. Like the Vikings, I don't think people realize because I know Kevin O'Connell is a fucking genius.
He's so smart. He's so, he's just brilliant. And I think he is really good. Like the Vikings need J.J. McCarthy to come back and play one very good game of football as badly as any sports franchise in America needs anything.
Anything. Like, I cannot describe how badly they need that to happen. because they kind of look like shit. And they're not supposed to be shit. They're supposed to be like a contender.
So I'm not buying the Vikings right now. The The Niners are five and three. They're just so injured. They're so injured. Like at some point, They need to tail off a little bit.
So I'm trying to think: like, what could that seventh team be? I don't really buy the Bears, I don't really buy the Panthers. Dare I suggest? I mean, the Cowboys, you're going to say, well, I was high on Atlanta until they're, they don't know what the fuck is coming or going. Maybe, was that just like a game where, like, hey, Kirk Cousins is our quarterback in 2025?
We've already lost. He's the highest paid backup in football. He makes almost $30 million. I know. Doesn't mean it was uh money well spent.
I don't trust Dallas because Their defense, I don't know why it's going to suddenly become even an average. Defense. But we're talking about a team that's the seventh seed. You know what I mean? Like, we're not talking about it.
This might be it, man. This might be it. The AFC might be the same way. That's what I mean. I think it's a.
Yeah, I think it's a lot of Good. And I still don't think the Colts have played anybody, but they are putting up 40 points a game. I mean, they're not winning these games 12 to 8. If you're playing shitty teams, you need to blow them out. And the Patriots and Colts have both done that.
Yeah. I mean, if the team that would drop out of the AFC, if you guys have the standings, I think would be Pittsburgh. Oh yeah, they fucking and their schedule's about to get legit hard. Um so the Ravens is cake. Yeah, I wouldn't count out the Ravens as long as they're favored to win the division today at a lot of sports, but yeah, or they were yesterday.
They're like minus 110. And the Steelers were like plus 120 or something.
So it's not like a huge gap, but. Doesn't that kind of tell you all you need to know? Speaking of that division, you'll never guess. Miles Garrett is frustrated. I saw the headline.
I was like, oh, really? Fuck him, man. Fuck fuck that. I will never play here again. I'm not going Cleveland to Canton.
He was like a Radio Rose dream. He was crashing everyone's show. Have you opened all the silly? Then go, dude. Have you opined on Shadur starting yet?
He's starting? Have you opened like on whether he should or when? I think he should start at some point. I don't know that It should be now. He wasn't healthy.
I mean, we saw enough of Dylan Gabriel. He's no, he's you need to get more of that. That looks really promising. They need to make sure he's got good runway. Yeah, but again, I think that's unfair.
With uh, whether it's Dillian Gabriel or or whomever, like that's I think you should give Shadur the last three games. Mm-hmm. So, how many games did Flacco? How many games were left when Flacco was no longer the quarterback? 12, 13, or whatever?
Like, I would. I would want to do like a six and six or whatever, seven and seven. But the problem with that is they hate him. They the Browns? Yes.
Yeah. They're going to end up starting Deshaun Watson next year. No, they're not. How are they not? They gotta try.
I mean well they're gonna get a top Five pick. Oh, that'll fix it. They can go back to the key. They're good at drafting quarterbacks. I'm not saying they're good at it.
I'm saying they have options that are not Deshaun Watson. I mean, they could have had Baker Mayfield like year 10 right now. I know. I know. Instead, we got that picture of him in the Three point stance in Carolina.
And then that one Thursday night he like Came in and was great with the Rams. Is Baker universally liked by football fans, or is there like a subsection of people who are like, I just don't like him? Like, he's, how do you not like Baker, man? I think everybody likes him. Coward likes him now, Christian Yellich likes him, they're buddies.
I remember that. Back during his Browns days, he was at spring training. Grant, were you there that? No. That would have been, you would have been too young, right?
I don't know. I've covered so many important sporting events, they all start to run together. I'm not sure. I do not remember seeing Baker Mayfield. I remember seeing Max Homa.
Use a med. Clubhouse. Who? Honestly, who? Yeah.
Oh my god. I don't know. Okay. I wasn't trying to be whatever, I just didn't know who it was. All right.
Anything other football thoughts, Packers' thoughts? No, but a good prompt that really illustrated the current dynamics of both conferences, Paul. I give that one a 10 out of 10. That was fun. Thank you, sir.
That sounded sarcastic, and it was not. I understand that it plays that way. Bart can relate. Yes, your question and topic led into a nice long-form discussion about the state of the two conferences. I agree with Grant.
Ah, thank you. That didn't sound sarcastic either.
Well, it wasn't. I know. You guys are both blessed with the curse, though, of like. It fucking sucks, man. The compliments are just like.
I think they were throwing shade. No, no, they were being genuine. Oh, you're doing a great job. And I really didn't miss you these last two weeks. Yeah.
All right. Do you want to do a Brewers Obit together or no? Sure. My my question, my topic was going to be simply The Brewers will likely be a good team. for the majority of our lifetimes.
They are well run. But You have Resigned yourself that it's never, it's never happening. I already did. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. But again, the first part true as well. I think they're maximizing, if not over. That's why I stick around because they're trying. They're not going to win, but they're trying.
They're well run. They're providing a summer of fun and passion. Oh, entertainment. Whatever the quote was. Do you know Charlie Brown to give up?
When he can't kick the football, do you tell him to give up? No. Cause one of these days you might, you never will, but you might, but you won't.
So, Grant, you, you, you're, you know, Grant, you've been beat up for like 13 fewer years than we have, but you've, you've also been resigned to like. Yeah, it's I've watched enough baseball. I've watched enough brewers. I Unless there's a drastic salary cap shift or something that's major that disrupts the sport. You've resigned yourself that yeah, it's just The salary cap shift would have to be massive massive.
Like the the structure of the sport would have to fundamentally change at its core. And I don't expect that. I don't either. Teams that are spending, I mean, team. The salary cap would have to be like 150.
Yeah. Which Okay. There's no there's no you're not Unless the owners lock everybody out. Get like the Milkmen in Savannah Bananas to play. And then the player's like, oh, fuck, we don't have a choice.
Yeah. I there's I don't there's no way. Because I will watch replacement baseball. I'm not attached to anybody that much. I don't know.
I think that's. I cheer for the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back. Exactly. That's the way I was raised. I was here long before Christian Yelich, and I'll be here long after.
Exactly. To build on this sarcasm thing that's Gary Council because he was born a brewer, but he left. I think you were both. I wanna be clear for people on the audio especially. You were both genuine in those comments just now, correct?
About the name of the game. I've never watched anyone good enough to transcend my Bruce fandom. They've never, the moment that a player comes in and wins me out. How can you go to the game, Bart? They're scabs.
Oh, I know. I'm going to join the picket line with Andrew Monasterio. Yeah. I will miss tailgating more than I miss any individual player on the field. And I think that's actually that's not a Brewers think about it.
Cardboard cutouts, back to that. Just get on your fucking feet, man. I don't need to explain it any further. Tim? Post.
No, um Well, have you been able to, let me ask you this. When that Dodgers, because we haven't talked in this capacity since then. When the Dodgers theory started, Where was your optimism level when the Dodgers Brewer series started? 2% was very low. Was very high.
Oh, yeah. I was hoping. Very high. What the hell are you guys talking about? You really were?
Yeah. No, Saturday Saturday To Monday was too quick. Ah. That's a when did your optimism fade then? The fourth inning or like second game?
When they held up the L flag, it was the destiny.
Okay. Um well when they lost I mean, when they got rolled in game two, but even going into game three, I'm like, okay, well, you win game three. You give yourself a chance in game four to make it a series, and then you win two or three of, you know, like. When a normal person loses optimism in a normal series, that's when I lost optimism. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay. They swept this team in the regular season and showed that they can not this Dodgers rotation. Those guys were on the shelf. Sure. But going into this, I wouldn't have picked him.
I would have bet on him. But I thought it's like Yamamoto, by the way. Let's have a series. Oh, I'm going to go warm up. He was never coming in.
Last night, Yamamoto warmed up. I didn't stay awake for that shit. He warmed up. And I'm glad I didn't. I would have had to watch Eric Lauer pitch, which would have further ruined this market.
Four and two-thirds. I don't think I'll watch because what the fuck else am I going to do? Will Klein. You're not talking about Will Guy. You'd be leading your show with Will Klein today.
I can't enjoy this World Series for the first time this year in a way that I maybe have in the past because of this realization it's never going to happen. I can't watch other people enjoy something that I know. Is something that I myself will never enjoy. I can't do it. That's why I quit watching the porn I like.
Well, I mean that's Probably a good parallel, actually. It's just why am I going to watch something that I know is unavailable to me? It's never, it's.
So like I woke up this morning. And I see, oh, Freddie Freeman. Oh, you know what? I'm real happy for him. It's about time Freddie Freeman and Dodgers fans had their moment together.
Yeah. Yeah. Good for Freddie Freeman. Yeah, one year in between. That must have been a long year in between walk-off World Series home runs.
God, how fucking excruciating. You imagine waking up. It's one thing to wake up, worry about where your next meal's coming from, worry about the roof over your head. You got to worry about, man, it's been 200-plus days since I hit a walk-off home run in the World Series. When are things going to turn around for Freddy?
I was sad that I left Atlanta. To end up in LA with a super team? Oh, when are things going to turn around for me? To be fair, he actually was. legitimately bummed about that.
Initially, I don't give a I don't give a I don't give a a a a a oh no the four star the four star hotel kicked me out to have the presidential suite at the five star hotel Thank you. I'm using this all tonight. I'm doing it. Douchebag. I'm so pumped.
What's the barometer? Uh NBA title urgency.
Okay. As based on just like the early returns of the season here or what? Just based on coming into this year. What what do you got? What's the top?
Whatever. Calves are one. Their team just built, but they're gonna, I mean, they're gonna be shit after this. They're winning out. Knicks are two.
Uh I put the mavs at three. Oh. Did you see Jason? Did you see Jason Kids? Jason Kidd's somewhat viral.
Press conference quote from the other day? No. Were his last ranked Mavs offense, he said, Our offense is right where it needs to be. Mm-hmm. Timberwolves are five.
Warriors are six just because they're going to act desperate, even though they're not. Nuggets and magic. You seem really enthused by this topic. I told Carlos today I think I want to kill the barometer. What's the point?
It's a great segment. You should not do that. You guys been watching any hockey? I will, but I have not yet. What?
That's like the last thing I thought would come out of your mouth. Oh. Hockey's great. Who's your team, Grant? Probably the wild.
The Bruins. Oh, yeah. 'Cause you listen up there. Why? Why not?
Because he listens to those guys. I can't do the wild. That sports market is a disgrace. If it was just the hockey team in the state next to me, all right. But then I go up there.
And it's a bunch of people in their Dress shirts, drinking their summit pale ales. I'm like, I want no part of this. Like, not even in a distant rooting interest of a sport in which I don't have a team.
So out No, but the Bruins lost, I think, six or seven in a row. They suck ass. They're bad. That's okay. I'm comfortable there.
I like that. Mm-hmm. Sabres are five hundred, I think. West Ham sucks. They fucking suck.
Relegation. They fucking suck. You got one on West Ham, or should we uh bid adieu there? Bid me add you All right.
Well, good to catch back up with you guys. Yeah. It genuinely was very nice to see you both. Paul, you add a certain dynamic into this group that, while I enjoy Bart, it just doesn't exist without you. And yes, sounds sarcastic.
I did not mean it that way. Moral shocks. Thank you, sir. I look forward to these. I do as well.
I don't know what I'd do without him. I mean, I I think about it all the time. Um All right, well uh if you're on the audio I'm gonna play my interview with Bart Lundy. Yeah. Bye, guys.
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Okay, one bad thing about being the UW Milwaukee Panthers head coach is you got to interview with me every year. The Barton Bart Show. Year four.
So I was in this office four years ago. Like right as you got your start. And one of the games that was on your schedule was Purdue. I think they were like top three in the country at that time. And you were like.
Just getting here and just getting acclimated. This year's non-conference schedule, though, will start there. Wisconsin's on it at Texas Tech. Wichita State. Akron.
So now you've put together a tough schedule. Where were you from that moment? to where you think you in the program is now. You know, uh also high. Hey Bob.
Glad to be back on the Barton. Yeah, hey. Good. Yeah. Uh you know how you when you feel Um You're doing something I coach forever.
But you are kind of flying by the seat of your pants. Um and things are going really fast. And you don't know what's going to happen when it all spills out. You probably feel like this sometimes on the air. And then there's other times where everything slows down, and you know that everything's on point where it needs to be, and you have a comfort level.
So, the opponents aren't any easier. You left Indiana as well out. Indiana. Yeah. So, it's a really difficult schedule.
Um But Win or lose, I have a comfort level about where the program is. The returners The corporate knowledge. The staff things have slowed down. Yeah. Things have slowed down.
So I think we go in, it doesn't guarantee you success, but we go in with a level of comfort that. we can compete at a high level. I think that's interesting. You wanted Wisconsin on the schedule. You've wanted these state teams to play.
And as you were talking at Media Day, you got Wisconsin. But, like, the days around it, that's going to be a challenge, but that's a day that you got to take. Yeah, it was, you know, we're kind of at their at their beck and call. We're the beck and call team. Yeah, that's fine.
Yeah. We uh We have to play the night before, uh, league game the night before, travel up there right after, that's at home, and then two days later, another conference game on the road. Oh, and there's New Year's Eve in there as well. Yeah, um My anniversary. Oh, congratulations.
Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Saw a celebration that night. There is not.
We have a six-year-old kid. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel you.
So, so, but we take the game as it comes and. That's when they wanted to play, so that's when we're playing.
Now you talked about two um Did I ever introduce you, Bart Lundy? I said Bart and Bart Show. You talk about You talked about the topic. Tournament, the NCAA tournament. And as we know, typically one bid league.
Is a lot of these mid-majors. You were speaking about that goal. It's something that I think, you know. These programs always want, but you're speaking about the goal. That is not going to be determined until that week in March.
We're in October.
So how do you keep that goal knowing you can't I don't want to say you can't do anything about it. Obviously, you're going to spend the next four months trying to do something about it. But it's almost like all of this, there's goals to be had and goals to be reached. But i if all of this is prepped towards that, how do you Maintain everything? How do you Keep these goals in front of you, but also there's that really big one at the end of the prize.
Yeah. Well, I really only say that stuff for the media guys.
So Everybody wants to hear us say it at this point. You're not doing brachetology with your team every practice? No. And I'm comfortable doing it because We live day to day. You know, it's been.
This has been a three going into four year day to day grind. And we have the stack good days as one of our mottos. that Is really not really a motto. kind of how we how we do things. And so I am comfortable saying, okay, we want to go to the NCAA tournament.
Everybody's. Right. None of that matters. It's in March. Um we've got a we've got a Uh a a daily a daily work ethic here now with the group that we have.
that is so ingrained that You know, we're going to get better and we're going to reach a lot of goals between now and March. Um But I've also been coaching a long time.
So there are times that. that I do keep that in mind. Like today. We got some guys banged up. We've got eight days before our first game.
a young coach or young me would have gone in And we'd have gone for for three hours and bang bodies. And um but I know we've got eight days of prep for for the first game. I I needed to to back off and we we went really hard, but it was pretty short.
So um There are things that I've got to think of. I've got to keep those guys that were in Media Day healthy. I've got to push them hard enough to keep them in really good shape.
Sometimes that means We're going to back off live play.
Sometimes they need a little extra conditioning.
Sometimes I need to put my coach ego in check and give him a day off. Um so there there are a lot of things between now and and March. that we've got to be smart about. Um but the daily grind and getting better, that never changes here. But you also there's other goals to have, like You want the Horizon League regular season title.
You want I mean, I I think you would want to go into one of these nonconference games and get a nice surprise victory.
So there are other goals to have. It's just it's it's balancing that whole thing. Yeah. I mean, we we wanna We want to win. It's been disappointing.
And you've set the 20-game standard now. Yeah. So you gotta, you gotta win these games. Yeah, yeah, you gotta win to keep your job. That's yeah.
No, we, you know, we're gonna. We've been in second. Two of the three years. No, we've been, yeah, two of the three years we've been here, we've been second in the regular season.
So I tell our team that you got to win every home game. And then half your road games to get to there's twenty league games, and that gets you to fifteen, and fifteen wins a league. And every every time you drop a home game in league, you gotta you gotta win an extra road game.
Well, we've come in second in the league twice, and we won 14.
So Um We gotta be a little smarter, a little better. to to reach that fifteen mark. Because I think Just about any league that's a good league, you're going to win 15, you're going to win the league.
So, we do want to win the regular season. We do want to knock off. We want to beat all these opponents, but. You can make a big splash for these guys and for the program by beating in Indiana or Texas Tech or. you know, uh I won't even say the The the one north of here.
But Again, it's the daily work and the habits you build that will allow you to go into those environments because you and I both know the. It's going to be you're against the crowd, you're oh, yeah, maybe against. Three other people out there on the floor that are that have whistles So you got to win those games about 10. Uh to win. Is this actually people are going to see this?
Are you going to hear this? Probably not. Yeah. Yeah. So, it's the habits that you build and the toughness you have that allow you to go into those environments.
And that's back to the day-to-day. What do you do day to day? This is just for my own personal. I just watch this at home. Um You have seven guys back?
Seven returners. That I think, and I I've talked to you about that, but that is To me, I don't I can't even wrap my head around how you're trying to 'Cause it's a matter of keeping the guys you have.
So it's almost like you're Every day you're coaching. I would think in the back of my head is like, I'm also recruiting these guys to stay here, and then you have to go and find other guys and. Again, as you've talked about. The newcomers. There seemed to be an intentionality, like we know what we need for the team.
And these are the guys we're going to find, and you feel like this is as good of a team as you've had here? Do I do. And how did you piece that together?
Well, I'll go back and uh And maybe maybe um At this point in my career, I'm a little insane. But I've gone the other way with all this. I know that You know, you used to look at a guy, and he was a four-year guy, or if he was a junior college guy, he was a two-year guy.
Sometimes you red-shirted people or they got injured, it was five-year guys.
Now it's a one-year deal. You know.
So instead of worrying about whether they're going to stay or not. I'm going to go. Coached them hard as hell. and not worry about it. You're here for a year.
But For this year? I'm going. I'm going a thousand miles an hour with this thing. And so I don't worry about if they're going to leave. And I think that's better.
It's more healthy for your program. And it's better for those guys 'cause they're the worst thing they can do is get coaching that you're worried about. Whether they're going to, but but I think that's the that's college athletics now. Everybody's worried about whether they're going to leave. Where are they going to leave?
One way or another. One way or another, they're going to leave, and you can't worry about it. And it's caused me to go the other way. I'm gonna coach harder. This is not a, I don't have four years to get them where.
You know, I want to get them. You know, I'm trying to pour into those guys. And how do I get you? It might only be a year I've got you. How do I make Jermichael Stilwell the best Jermichael Stilwell when he leaves here?
And that's the not worry about whether he's going to leave. Go. Go 100 miles an hour. Oh man, there's a lot more I could get in on that. As a youth soccer coach myself with six-year-olds, I think we could talk coaching all day.
The last thing though is when I you got here. I told you like. Two of my brothers went here. And I know that they We'll watch this and we'll check so they'll see it those two guys. They keep tabs on the program.
My mother. And your mom. But it really, I think, um Even thinking of When I went to lacrosse. I don't check on what they're doing a lot. Emphatically.
But then if they're good. I will talk about it like I'm the proudest person ever. And have you seen more of that now that since you've? Kind of reestablish, like, this is a program that's. aiming to win twenty games.
We have aspirations. We're not just You know, here to run out and, you know, take seventh in the conference. Have you seen more of a buy-in from Not just the university, but the students, the alumni, and so on and so forth. Yeah, yeah, the the pride um We should have a gauge, a pride gauge. No, I think the pride in uh having Milwaukee across UW Milwaukee across your your shirt and your sweatshirt.
uh has has grown Astronomically. Uh I think people were in hide mode when When we got here three years ago, you know, or angry. I think there were some angry fans. I did a lot of radio. Prior to you coming here.
And any time we would bring up the program, it was... Not positive. Yeah. It was not. And I think that our fan base feels the same way we do.
You know, it's time to start. Talking about some championships, but I think the pride is back and. You know, I learned a long time ago. when I got here. To When I talk to a group to say, okay, who in here you and I have talked about this, who in here has family members, or you went yourself to Milwaukee, and almost everyone in the room in this city will raise their hand.
So it touches the entire city.
So if you can you know, as the kind of the front porch, if you can If you can make them proud of where they went to school and where their family members went to school. It raises all the boats. And I think we're seeing that. But we got to make we got to go to the tournament. I think that's the.
That's the next step. We got to win championships. You know, and when Coach Pearl was here, that's what he established, you know, on elite level. And we want to be one of the elite mid-majors and and we want to have our our our alumni and all these folks in the city be proud of that. The only bad thing I talk about the university now is when I go down Maryland, sometimes kids don't cross at the crosswalk, they're crossing the whole street.
And I get stuck there, and that really makes me mad. But that's it. That's the only negative thing I have to say. You gave me a shirt a while back, I wore that with pride. Is one of those hoodies.
People ask me. Did you go to Milwaukee? And sometimes I'll say yes.
Sometimes I'll say yes. Even though I did not. Coach Lundy. Yeah. Thank you, Bart.
Thank you. Barton Bart Show. We'll be back next year.
