USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at USAA.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Honey, do not make plans Saturday, January twenty fourth, okay?
Why, what's happening? The Walmart Wellness Event. Flu shots, health screenings, free samples from those brands you like. All that at Walmart. We can just walk right in.
No appointment needed. Who knew we could cover our health and wellness needs at Walmart? Check the calendar Saturday, January twenty fourth. Walmart Wellness Event. You knew.
I knew. Check in on your health at the same place you already shop. Visit Walmart Saturday, January 24th for our semi-annual wellness event. Flu shots subject to availability and applicable state law. Age restrictions apply.
Free samples while supplies last. Good afternoon, everybody. I'm Bart Winkler. Welcome into the Winkler Verse. We'll start the timer at 30 minutes.
I have a interview I'm doing, not for a job. Don't Worry about that at 1:30, and it's just before 1 o'clock. And I thought, you know what? 30 minutes is probably appropriate for the things that. we need to talk about when it comes to Doc Rivers and Matt LaFleur.
The normally scheduled episode of this podcast is coming Thursday. And I think we'll have a lot to talk about regarding the Bucks and the Packers. But I've also kind of been waiting today. To see if either of these guys were gonna lose their jobs, one being Matt LaFleur. and the other being Doc Rivers.
Now, Doc, I have not been as vocal about as everybody else. I still feel like the Bucs are probably broken either way. And I don't know what is going to happen. If they fire him or don't fire him. But I do think after last night.
I don't know what you can continue to do with Doc Rivers, especially with the two different tones of press conference between him and Giannis, and also Giannis booing the fans back.
Something we certainly need to Address here.
So flip a coin. Should I talk Packers? Or should I talk Bucks first? Let me just say the quick thing about LaFleur. Because there's not much new news, and then I will get into.
The box. He has not been fired yet.
So I thought Monday was a checkpoint. I think Tomorrow Could be a checkpoint. And then after that, it's just a matter of when does he get his extension. And for how much. And Matt LaFleur has a couple of things going for him.
He really, truly does. One, he works for an organization where they historically, no matter who's in charge, slow walk into these massive changes.
Okay, so if they don't have to, they won't. They also have a team that's kind of been built. For the next couple of years before the cap gets a little more out of control.
So, do you want to change leaders? Midstream. Uh a lot of us think so, but do the Packers? The other thing is, there are a lot of jobs opening up. Baltimore's opening up.
Pittsburgh's opening up. What does this mean for Matt LaFleur? It means he's got more leverage. Whether he wants to take these jobs or not, he has more leverage. There are other jobs open.
And Matt LaFleur also. has the backing Of many people that get on television and talk about the NFL. where they talk about how good of a coach he is. Did Schefter call him a top five coach? Today?
Is that true?
So, what it seems like is that with all these jobs being open and with a lot of people. Arguing on his behalf. It's very interesting. Matt LaFleur was not considered a top 10 coach. A month ago, he was considered a good coach, but he's not considered a top 10 coach.
Now, all of a sudden, since his ass is on the line, he's one of the best coaches in the league. You'd be foolish to fire him. He'll get a new job. Within seconds. And look, that's not, I don't think that's the Packers' problem.
If you are employing someone. Who isn't working for you? It's not working out with your expectations and demands. There's still a good shot, chance, chance, whatever I'm saying. But yes, somebody else will pick him up.
John Harbaugh is going to be picked up, maybe by the Giants, maybe by somebody immediately.
Okay. That doesn't mean the Ravens were wrong in their decision because it wasn't working out. with them. I don't think you need to continue to make decisions based on what other people. Are you going to do?
Well, I'm in this relationship with this girl and uh I don't I don't like her, but God, I know if I dump her, my friend will scoop her up immediately. What do you want? What do you want with your life? What do you want with your team? And I still think One of the big issues with how this league is covered Is we still look at it.
Like making the playoffs. Which is an achievement. But we still look at it like making the playoffs is some Like it's an achievement that you've earned. Like you you're all You can't look into the playoffs. You can't backdoor your way into the playoffs.
If you're in the playoffs, that means you're a top-five coach. 14 teams make the postseason. The Panthers did not have a winning record. The Packers. Lost four games going into the postseason.
So I don't know that it matters. That much anymore regular season success. This is how a lot of people We'll view it. If it seems like this is kind of the maybe ladder on regular season success. If you're a team.
That has regular season success. and you lose in the playoffs. You as a fan. And I'm this fan. are frustrated.
You're frustrated because it's not. You want to win. Especially As I told Paul and Grant. The more bites at this apple you get, it's it's not good anymore. You know, you can have the best steak in all of downtown.
But if you have that like eight nights in a row At some point you're like, Can we just can we just have a cheeseburger? Can you just make spaghetti or something? I just want something different. Like, but it's the it's a steak. All of everybody wants this steak.
Yeah, they do. It's really good. But you get complacent with that. And I would say it's not entitled, but it is complacency for a Packer fan to not get that up. For oh, we lost in the playoffs, but look at this guy's regular season record.
So, if you're somebody that is a Packer fan that has experienced all these playoff losses, especially in this case under Matt LaFleur. You're like, this sucks.
Now, if you're somebody who is a fan that has not had that success. You can't believe. That you would want to get rid of that coach. You can't, you look at all these other fan bases. They say, oh, I would kill to get in the playoffs.
I would love to have Matt LaFleur. Of course, the Tennessee Titans would love to have Matt LaFleur. Of course, some of these teams that aren't winning would love to have. Matt LaFleur. Because he Shows up in the playoffs.
But he doesn't show up in the Super Bowl.
So that's always been the problem. But what I'm also realizing is. The NFL media. The people that you follow the most. Which are a lot of former football players.
A lot of these guys really don't like. It's the Overton window. Is that the phrase? They don't like to Jump on someone. Until everybody else has.
There's like an acceptability level. Like, I you know, now it's acceptable. To shit on Matt LaFleur. But a couple of weeks or months ago, when they were five, two, and one in first place. It wasn't acceptable yet.
So then, people like me look like we're on the outside, like we're the crazy ones. But now, because they lost in the playoffs again, it's become more acceptable.
So now more people are going to do it. But even though fans might get there, it takes a lot longer for the NFL media. And I'm talking about the shows on ESPN, I'm talking about the shows on FS1, I'm talking about all these other shows.
Okay, NFL network. I'm talking about former players that are now in the media. They don't want To have to come out and say a coach should be fired. They don't want to do that because then there's no walking that back. They look like somebody who is unhinged.
And they have gone against kind of that. The Credo. Of what it means to be a former player. Once other people start doing it, Then they'll jump on board. Once it becomes popular, but nobody wants to do it.
So right now they're all sticking up. For one of their own. And That bothers me. Not just because it's affecting you. But it's affecting the Green Bay Packers.
It's going to affect Matt LaFleur. It's going to affect. How he's viewed, it's going to affect the amount of money he can command. You have this many open jobs with that many people advocating for him every day on television.
Now the floor is going to end up getting an extension, getting a raise, and continuing to be the Packers' head coach. That's how it feels. That's how it feels. I don't like it. We're just going to have to.
Live with it. I don't like it. So that's what I'm expecting with the Packers. I still do not think he should be the head coach. I think he's a guy who gets.
I still call him Scrappy Doo. You know. Two foot tall. Let me add him. But then Ben Johnson comes in and immediately takes a stranglehold of the division.
No toughness, no grit, no fight. Even your best friends know they get you in deep water. You cannot swim.
So I'm expecting a La Fleur extension. Probably Friday night. A little Friday night news dump, or maybe some dumb shifter report. Uh in the morning on Saturday. I don't know.
But If you think there's going to be a new coach on that sideline. I don't feel like there's going to be. Um shout out to Bobby. Who's watching the program today? Bobby, appreciate you and your.
Company that you are with right now. Also, shout out to Happy Place Hemp. Promo code is Bart. 25% off each and every order. Happyplacehemp.com.
The promo code is Bart. You can also stop by there and Mosquito. Across from New Berlin. That road, college. They're on college court.
They're across from Maddie's. A lot of you. No Maddie's. Um and right across there is a building where Chris and Rob are hanging out, and we'll answer your questions and can talk to you about the different products they have: the gummies, tinctures. Seltzers A big one for sure.
And you can also use the promo code. If you go in, you can say, hey, I saw Bart talking about it, or the promo code, Bart. 25% off happyplacehemp.com. I will say a special shout out to a team I don't talk about as much. Um just because I don't I'm not, I don't, I don't personally get into them as much.
And I'm not going to be the best one to cover them. And that's anything college basketball. But I do want to give a shout out to the Badgers last night. For their win against uh Minnesota. Not just because they won, but really the fashion that they won and how much we needed that.
in the uh Winkler household. Because my kid I was taking a bath. If you must know. And I had The Bucks game on the laptop, sitting on a chair so you can watch.
Well, taking a bath, and the Bucs were getting destroyed. They're already down 20 points before the game started, and he's furious and he's mad. And I'm watching the Badgers in the other room because I put money on them. And I saw that they had won.
So I ran into the bath and I go, look at this, it's going to be crazy. And then Minnesota hits the three, Badgers hit the three.
So that was very fun. They're coming up that big win against Michigan. I think one thing that I hate about college basketball, and this is. This is so Unfair to college basketball and those that like it. Just having worked.
In radio, in the market. We didn't really start booking Badger guests or talking college basketball. Until football season was over.
So when I'm watching college basketball, With any intent? It's because the Packers are done. And I don't think that I can separate. The two, but that was a big win, and I'm happy about that.
Now, we were also upset, as I told you, about the Bucs loss. The Bucks lost 139 to 106. No Anthony Edwards in this game. And one of the first things that I saw somebody say online. Was The Bucks are at a point now where you know you can rest your stars.
and still win. That's the point the Bucks are at. You know, you can rush your stars and still win. And I thought, no, I mean, they still have Giannis. We got our star of our own.
Everything's going to be just fine. But no, that is the case.
So the Bucks fall to 17 and 23. They lose 139 to 106. I do think there was a side-by-side of Doc saying. You know, schedule and our legs are tired, and then Giannis saying we can't use those as an excuses. I don't understand where we're on the same path here.
We're not. I don't understand why Doc Rivers continues. This is a franchise. Here's the problem with Doc Rivers for me, because I was pushing back heavily. against the Adrian Griffin firing discourse.
I heard Like we all eventually did, that inside, no, it wasn't good. It it wasn't good. But inside Even though it may have been bad, they were still winning. And that's what I was looking at. I was like, yeah, it might not be good, but first year, whatever, they're 31 and 9, whatever it was.
So I didn't I I I d I didn't I just couldn't get there. like a lot of other people did uh relatively quickly.
Now, should he have been fired? Should he not have been fired? I think Let's say the justification still is Up to speed to this day. Did you not set Some sort of parameter. Did you not set sort some sort of bar?
about what the expectation is as a coach to come in. to the Bucks organization. And if we're firing a guy who's twenty games above five hundred, Doc Rivers, not only are the Bucs bad, Uh the Bucks Are Lifeless. And hopeless. And so I think what the Bucs need to figure out Is how much of this is because of doc.
Or is some of it because of the makeup of the team? And that's what I was talking yesterday about they're so screwed now. Just, you know, just nuke this thing and The chips are going to fall with, oh, we have John Morant and Bridges and Giannis and nobody else, and no 2031.
Okay, I mean, it's not, they're not going to win on this path. The other issue is, and I've seen some talk about this. Is the front office choosing Doc? Over Giannis. Do they have plans to potentially trade Yannis?
Who can then get a super max with another team, and then they want to rebuild the team. In Doc Rivers. Image. The team as itself. Is I just don't it doesn't fit to me.
You got Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins.
sort of like you only have one basketball for these two guys, okay? You got AJ Green. Who There's just a lot of times I think A.J. Green's going to make a shot and then he doesn't. There's just a lot of times that I think We may have prematurely anointed A.J.
Green. Who I like. But again. Bobby Portis, of course. Kyle Kuzma.
You just can't do the Jennifer Hudson show the day of a game. Or whenever that taped. I don't even care. I don't even care. I'm just, you got to tell Jennifer Hudson's people.
You cannot release this episode on the day of a game. We cannot. Please, God. Do not do it. And then of course like everyone's getting excited, oh Pete Nance, we might see Pete Nance.
This would be the perfect game to see Pete Nance. We don't see him until the very end.
So, even when there's like something to be excited about. We're just going to be set in our ways. Until the very end.
So then there's the Giannis booing. If you, your parent, or spouse served in the military, you could join our family. Our members saved an average of $70 a month on auto insurance when they switched. Tap the banner or visit usaa.com/slash join today to check your eligibility. Restrictions apply.
Then there's the Giannis Booing. And what I had said earlier online. Um was I got too much going on. I'm trying to figure out. The professional angle.
I got a lot going on in the personal life, as we all do. I am overwhelmed. By watching TV. Basically, I'm at home too much right now. And I just don't know that I need with all my stuff.
To take on whatever Giannis is experiencing. Because And I don't know what it is. I don't know what's going on there. But for Giannis Edeta Kumpo. to get booed.
And he didn't get booed. The fans are the fans are booing. The box. The Bucks are lifeless. You're the one guy we're not booing.
We love you. We're not booing you. But for him to boo back. The same way he booed on the road, which was funny.
Now that he booze at home. Uh it's bad.
So let me read the quotes. You've already read them, but I'll read them for the setup here. I've never been a part of that.
Something new for me. It doesn't matter. I thrive through adversity, I thrive when people don't believe in me. Doesn't matter where I am. It was new for me.
I like it. I love it. Laurie Nicol, great reporter, asked a follow-up. She said, But this is a home game. We we basically, what are you doing, man?
It doesn't matter. It does not matter. I play basketball for my teammates. I play for myself and my family. When people don't believe in me, I don't tend to be with them.
I tend to be against them. I tend to do what I'm here to do what I'm good at. I think I'm like a Maverick. I've always been that way, so it won't change now. It doesn't matter if I'm at home or away.
But yeah, I've never been a part of something like that before, and I don't think it's fair. I don't. But everybody has their opinion to do what they want to do. I'm not going to tell them what to do and how they should act when we don't play hard or lose games or where we're. Supposed to be when we're not.
And I don't think anybody has the right to tell me how I should act on a basketball court. after I've been here for thirteen years and I'm basically the leader in everything. And I'm not going to pretend to understand where he is. I guess I would say. You know, I I've I've I've booed back.
Personally and professionally, I've booed back. At a lot of people that have booed at me. But if I, and again, this is not comparable. I'm just trying to, I'm trying to find a way to understand where he is. If we're doing this podcast for like five years and I come back and I think, well, You know, we got the Winkler verse, and all of a sudden, everybody in the Winkler verse is like, hey, by the way, you fucking suck.
I'm gonna be like, well, you fucking suck.
So, I don't think what I don't like is that that one moment. Because nobody watched that Bucs Timberwolves game last night.
Okay, but that was enough of a moment To then be on a lot of these same television shows. That I was just talking about. And Giannis booing the crowd back. is about as bad of a look. As you can have.
And again, I don't know. I don't know. Something's on my lip. I don't know what the intent was. He must have felt like he was being booed.
He I If I'm in that Bucks Stadium. Which I think it's called Pfizer Forum. If I'm there. And the Bucs are playing like shit. And it's a Tuesday night.
A random Tuesday. These these tickets are not cheap.
Okay. Tony says he was at the game. They played horrible defense and had no team offense. The the game was bad. You could tell by the end of the first quarter they weren't going to win.
And there was nothing inspiring, and there has been nothing inspiring.
So all of a sudden, These people, because you go to the game, you get your tickets. You got to buy popcorn or some treat for your kid. You probably want something too. Parking's always more expensive than you thought it would be. But that you know I'm not going to take away the the booing thing.
And maybe I should have blocked off more than 30 minutes. Because the booing thing I don't think is as egregious as people make it. I I d I n I never Like If you want to g Boo. Boo is barely a word. Boo is a noise.
Okay. When you're cheering on someone, you're going, yeah, yeah. There needs to be an inverse of that. And it's. Boo!
Now, once you start name calling. Verbal threats. Ripping on their family. Personal attacks. Those are all things.
That cross a line. But a lot of times a simple boo will then draw the same reaction. From some fans or writers or players, I guess. as if you did do that. When Yannis heard boo.
He must have heard. You don't like me. You don't respect me. You're not. You're not.
Appreciative of what I've done for you. That's not what boo means. Boo means In this particular second of time, I am dissatisfied with the product that I am witnessing live. That's what boo means. That's boo.
Boo is so simple. I am so pro boo. Because I think anti-boo is really dumb. What are you supposed to do? Because then if everyone was just silent, well then the silence bothers people.
Oh, well, why why why'd you why'd you even come? You're not getting booed. You know, Giannis has been here for 13 years.
Okay. The Bucks have played shitty. Many, many times. In his 13 years. He didn't get booed.
Those teams didn't get booed in the early goings of him. Those teams get they can get booed. when you know other things are happening Uh they got booed.
Now Because there's been a general malaise. From your team. And maybe. Maybe some will be directed at you. Because how into this are you?
Do you want to be here? You keep saying I'm the most popular girl on the block. You say, for as long as I'm here. You say I would never ask for a trade. But you're also like You're asking for it without asking for it.
You don't want to quit. You want to get fired. You know, that's what I think some people, I think you're frustrated. I think you know your team's bad. I think you know your coach is bad.
And I think you know that you've been around a long time, and you know, maybe there was a way out that you should have taken earlier. but you stayed loyal and now the Bucks have their backs totally against the wall. That you kinda gotta just live with it right now. And the only way out would be to ask for a trade, but you don't want to do that. It also seems to me like I don't know.
I'm not going to speculate.
So I'm going to do the thing where I. Ask a question, but don't really speculate. Because there's a lot of times where, like, I know I've been at my work, and all of a sudden, I'm. unhinged about something that does not matter. But are you like taking other anger points and projecting them out.
I mean, to boo the crowd back was not good. Yeah Uh we love you. You gave us And we even like A lot of us, a lot of us. Still know that if you have to go at some point, you have to go. Just don't make it harder.
For everybody else.
So I understand again why he was affected. Getting booed is not the worst thing in the world. Boo, it's just a boo.
Okay. You don't need to. Say fuck you back and flip him the bird. That's not becoming havior behavior of anybody. There's Bart again.
Yeah, I'm such a little bitch. But don't, don't, I didn't like that he booed back. And that now it's going to be a thing.
So, what is going to happen? What is going to happen? The Green Bay Packers um And and if they fire LaFleur today or tomorrow, I'll be able to do I I got we got swimming tonight.
So maybe I'll see him. Maybe I'll go boo. Just kidding, I have too much of a. Um I don't think they go anymore anyway. But I'll be, you know, doing that.
I don't think Matt LaFleur is getting fired at this point. Certainly not today. And I think these other openings. Are driving up the contract. I think there may be a mutual disparting.
That's still something I have hoped for. Where they couldn't work out an extension. And then he gets traded. And then the other team extends him. I think that's something that's still plausible.
Um But I don't. think he's gonna get outright fired. Or that would have happened by now. As far as the Bucs, they have a game tomorrow against the Spurs. And then they don't play again.
Until Monday in Atlanta during the day. Martin Luther King Day. Would that be a window where they would move on from their coach?
So I think it's probably more possible that by next Monday Doc is out and LaFleur is not. But I I think if you're a fan of either team or both. They're probably both here on Monday. Chad says, lashing out at the fans because of a continued overall poor team effort is a bad look. Another is saying, I can't be questioned because I own every franchise record.
Considering it's coming from a guy who once warned of the dark side of ego, this was as disappointing as the game itself. Giannis is acting like. Like he's been taken over by Venom. Giannis is acting like he's been taken over by Venom. Like the symbiote has got him.
I don't know what's happening with him.
Something's going on. There will be something revealed at some point. Like. He was told he'd be traded, and then he wasn't.
So he's mad, or he was told something would happen, and then it didn't.
So he's mad. Or he tried to motivate his team, and then he just realized everybody sucked.
So I don't know what it's going to be. But this seems very unlike the guy we've rooted for. And that has broken the records of the last 12 years.
So that's a good 30 minutes. I appreciate you guys for stopping by. We will have posted tomorrow. Hope to have some picks coming up as well. It has been fun.
Getting a little more time here. There's just a lot going on, so this probably would have happened regardless. The National Show, people did not like when I talked to Milwaukee. They said I did it too much, but. Man, there sure are a lot of Wisconsin sports stories.
Out there right now. And quick note: Alec Bregman is taking number three.
So if you want to get back at a Cubs fan, Sign up for every like Cubs Bregman Twitter account. Where the E is a three instead, like Bregman Cubs season. Do that kind of stuff 'cause those are gonna get scooped up pretty quickly.
Now that his numbers out there. Want to thank Dan Shaney for the YouTube streaming, Carl's Place, for the voicemail line, 402-915-2278. We'll be back with an mm-mm-mm-mm. Until then, thank you for stopping into the Winklerverse. The new year brings new health goals and wealth goals.
Protecting your identity is an important step. Your info is in endless places that could expose you to identity theft, leading to lost funds. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, our restoration specialists will fix it guaranteed or your money back. Resolve to make identity health and wealth part of your New Year's goals with LifeLock.
Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com slash specialoffer. Terms apply.
