Ouch....

OK...The Pack had a great season, and we all wish that they would be playing on Sunday against the Patriots....but on that final interception in overtime.....UGH! A poor choice helped end a fabulous season. Check out Jennings, Grant and Lee, all open.

Thoughts From Press Row At the Bradley Center.

I made my first trip to the Bradley Center of the season for the Bucks-Pacers game tonight. I used to cover/work at a lot more Bucks games but with Packers and Badgers already on my plate, I've handed off the Bucks to our younger reporters. So this year, Andrew Grebe represents our station at the games. Tonight, though with Fondy's own Travis Diener coming to town with the Pacers I decided to dust myself off and get down to a game. Here are some quick hit thoughts on the night.

1. Travis got his first start of the season tonight and played 40 minutes. He had 15 points, 9 assists and just one turnover, which came late. He was just 4 of 12 from the floor and 2 of 7 from beyond the arc. Diener's shot will come around as he gets more minutes. One thing that I notice about the Pacers is that their offense flows a lot better when Diener is running the show. It's just more fluid.

2. Fondy was well represented tonight at the Bradley Center. The Fond du Lac Children's Choral did a great job singing the National Anthem before the game and many fans made the trip down to see Diener play. Travis said he had to find 60 tickets for the game for family and friends. There were many more people that came down on their own.

3. The NBA is really three different seasons. NBA basketball before the All-Star Break is pretty boring quite frankly. Once you get past the All-Star Break and teams start jockeying for playoff position the intensity picks up and then once you get into the playoffs, you see it go up another level. That's when I can stomach full games. Before the post-season it seems like a lot of players coast. The same goes for the fans. The atmosphere is pretty stale in half full arenas. Once the post season starts the BC can get rocking.

4. It was 80's Night at the Bradley Center tonight. The dude who founded Survivor was the half-time show. That's all I'll say on that.

5. I really forgot how good the food is at the Bradley Center. One of the perks of being in the media is that you get a pre-game meal. The Bradley Center is known to have the best food in pro sports. Tonight it was Lasagna. Top Notch!

6. I think Yi has hit the rookie wall. He looked a bit sluggish and a step slow in the 12 minutes he played. Remember he really doesn't have an offseason because he plays with the Chinese National Team during the summer.

That's all I have from tonight....Off to bed and a quick turn-around to get up at 4am for the Breakfast Club on Friday morning on KFIZ!

Giants Triumph Packers

I guess fiction can mirror reality. Here's a clip from Eddie Murphy's movie "Coming To America" back in 1987.

Packers Fall Short of The Super Bowl.

I'm checking in from the Lambeau Field Press Box and it's safe to say the Packer locker room was stunned that they are going home after a 23-20 OT loss to the New York Giants. The bottom line is that the Green Bay Packers didn't deserve to win this game. Their offense was horrible all day long. They totally abandoned the running game and the New York Giants had field position the entire 2nd half. At this point, you may have to say that this is the worst Packer playoff loss ever. A home game in the NFC Championship is a much worse game to lose than that Atlanta game or the Minnesota game, or even the Philly 4th and 26th. If the team goes to Dallas and loses the NFC Title Game, you feel a little better, but losing at home in the way you did, was just plan disappointing. Anyways...here are some quick hit thoughts on the game.

1. Early on the Packers seemed to be playing cold while the Giants step the tone for their offense with a great first drive. Almost every player on both sides was huddling around the heaters between series but once you got into the 2nd half, those big airplane engine type things didnt have too many bodies huddled around.

2. I was sitting near a high ranking member of the NY Giants Front Office, let me tell you this...he was cussing like a sailor the whole game....There were more four letter words in the press box today than ever before. It was mildly entertaining. Bob Harlan would never act remotely like this. He's a class act. In the locker room after the game, Mr. Harlan looked like he was going to cry. We'll miss him as the leader of the organization.

3. The Packers got no YAC. Donald Driver's TD aside, every time a Packer receiver caught the ball, they fell down.

4. Where was Ryan Grant. It was almost like the Packers reverted back to their early season selves. Yes, they were struggling with the run, but Mike McCarthy has said he would always keep pounding the football and he didn't tonight.

5. Plaxico Burress was the man tonight. He owned Al Harris. If I were the Giants, I would have kept chucking his way to make a play. At one point he caught 10 of Eli Mannings 12 compleitions.

6. Eli Manning has arrived. He was big time tonight. He didnt make any mistakes and managed a solid game. He has now moved out of Peyton's shadown.

7. Before we were let into the Packer locker room we were talking about if players would still be in their uniforms. Most of the time guys are getting dressed and on the way out the door when the media enters. I thought it might be different tonight. Greg Jennings was the only guy just sitting in his locker with his uniform still on. There he sat, in silence about 30 minutes after the game. Those are the kind of guys that take losses hard. You could tell he was shocked that his season was over.

8. Many fans were waiting for Brett Favre to save the day and somehow find a way to win this one. It didn't happen. The NYG gave him many chances but the old gun slinger ran out of bullets on this cold night. I think if the weather had been better Green Bay would have had a better a chance of winning. The cold weather actually helped the Giants....that and flat out beating Green Bay in all three phases of the game.

9. I hope that local law enforcement is watching all bridges in the state tonight. Some Packer fans may be ready to jump.

10. On to the Super Bowl for the Giants.....early predictions.....New England 35 NY Giants 21.

THE FINAL DRIVE

This guy was totally wrong about old #4! I hope he makes another video if the Pack returns to the Super Bowl!

American Idol Starts Tonight....

Hey....

American Idol starts tonight and I thought you'd enjoy this video of Simon Cowell making his TV debut on the game show Sale of the Century.

Sorry...I couldn't get the Youtube to link it but click below to go to the site and enjoy!

Click Here: Simon Cowell on Sale of the Century

Packers To Host NFC Title Game!

As I sit here at my computer thinking about what I should type about the Packers, I'm not sure if it's sunk in yet that the Packers will be hosting the NFC Title game a week from today and have a very good shot at returning to the Super Bowl. Gulp...Double Take....I can't believe I just typed that.

First off, I have to admit that I was wrong about this team and Brett Favre. I thought the ceiling for this team was 8, maybe 9 wins if all of the stars alligned in 2007. On paper heading into the season, looking at the early schedule, and the roster, I thought as a whole the team was too young to get it done and the QB was too old to get it done. After they somehow found a way to beat Philly in the opener, I still felt that way. The Packers didn't spent much or virtually nothing in free agent money this offseason and stood pat with what they had as Ted Thompson was continuing to build for the future. I guess the future is now. The youth on the team has been solid all season. James Jones' first half melt-down against Bears early in the season and then Ryan Grant's two fumbles early could have sent those guys into tail spins, but they didn't.

As I've written before, I was wrong about Brett Favre. I thought the team has a better chance of returning to glory by Favre retiring and speeding up the rebuilding process with Aaron Rodgers. Boy was I wrong. Old #4 has been spectacular...minus that first half in Dallas...all season long. I give Mike McCarthy a lot of credit on this one. From the start he's treated his veteran QB like another member of the roster. He held him accountable for his mistakes and it actually looks like he's coached him. What that says about coaching staffs after Mike Holmgren is another story. Favre has been great, and as he said after Saturday's win over the Seahawks when talking about his underhanded toss to David Martin...."I looke Old and unathletic" Well, old and unathletic is getting the job done.

As for Saturday's win. Down 14-0 early, you got the feel that it could have been a re-do of the Atlanta Falcon's playoff win at Lambeau a few years back. This Packer team didn't fold though. They marched down the field and scored TDs on six straight possessions. Game Over.

If you're like me, you love games where the weather plays a factor. Snow, rain, whatever. It's fun! And it was fun being at Lambeau on Saturday night. At one point, you could not see the Seattle sidelines or the other side of the stadium from the Press Box. I think every reporter and member of the Packres and Seahawks PR staff busted out the digital camera or the cell-phone camera to take a picture of snow covered, frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. (I'm included on this one, as you can see with the above photo)

Early forecast for next Sunday. A high of 11 during the day. The game kicks off at 5:30pm so look for single digits for this one!

Who's Ryan Grant? Who's James Jones? Who's Atari Bigby? Who's Tramon Williams? You can go on and on. A linebacker playing fullback, a first round pick that didn't sniff the field most of the year. Regardless of who or what happened. Green Bay is a winner. Green Bay is hosting the NFC Title Game and Green Bay has a great shot at going to the Super Bowl.

News-Talk 1450 KFIZ will be your home for Packer news leading up to next Sunday's game. Listen for press conference audio and other Packers news as Green Bay looks to return the the Super Bowl. Of course you'll hear next Sunday's game on News-Talk 1450 KFIZ.

Chris W Bosh - Send Me To New Orleans All Star Game 2008

Toronto's Chris Bosh REALLY wants your vote for the NBA All-Star Game!

Thoughts From The Outback Bowl....

Before I dive into the 21-17 loss to Tennessee, let me say this. If you've never attended a college bowl game, make sure you get it on your "to do" list over the course of your life. I went to the 2nd UCLA Rose Bowl and since then, I've been lucky enough to hit every Badger bowl. They are a great time. Whether it was Pasadena, Nashville, El Paso, San Antonio, Orlando, or Tampa, they have all brought a unique and memorable experience. With that said, going to a bowl game against an opponent from the SEC takes it too another level. I remember going out in Los Angeles on the campus on UCLA and there were people who had no idea the Rose Bowl was going on and their team was in it...In SEC country the world shuts down leading up to a a bowl game or any game involving the team of choice. They live and die with their school, which makes the bowl experience so much better. Mingling with the opposing teams fans is one of the reasons bowl games are so much fun. To get other perspectives on college fooball and your team. Anyways...here are some quick thoughts on the game and other stuff.

1. Thank's to Tennessee's coaching staff, UW was still in the game at the half. Tennessee could have had 28 or 25 points at the break had they not melted down on a couple of series inside the 15. They turned it over on some gimmick play and then Phil Fulmer decided to yank his QB who was torching the UW secondary for some freshman WR to run the old single wing...oh lordy, Vols fans were going nuts around us in the stadium.

2. As for the Badgers, they had their chances as well. First off, I've never been a very big Tyler Donovan fan at QB. He's not a horrible quarterback, but I always felt always missed throws that should have been made that really cost UW over the course of the year. That said, The Outback Bowl showed he is one tough SOB. He kept getting back up after taking shot after shot from the Tennessee defense.

3. The 4th and 2 play midway through the 4th quarter still has me shaking my head. First off I have no problem with going for it at the 9 yard line. You're down 21-17. If you can convert, you have a good chance to score a TD and take the lead. My problem is with the play call. You have a running game that has been ripping up the Tennessee defense. Hand the stinking ball to PJ Hill who has pounded his way through big holes all day. But a roll-out pass...come on...Donovan actually had a guy open on that play after it broke down, but he was hit as he was throwing it and missed the guy. As one of the guys I was with said, kicking the field goal would have been a smart move as well. You kick it and make it 21-20. Either way you have to stop Tennessee again. If you're up 24-21 or down 21-20,you can't let the Vols score, so the FG would also have been a good move. Barry would have kicked it, Brett is more of a riverboat gambler type. That said, UW did get the ball back and did make a mini-run at a game winning score, which ended when Donovan got picked in the end zone looking for Hubbard. I was fine with the throw, but he just under threw the ball. The win was blowing strong, right in the face of Donovan and I assume he was trying to put the ball in the corner of the end zone and the wind got it and left it short...game over.

4. I read the paper after the game and heard coach Bielema rip the refs. The refs didn't lose the game for UW. Yeah, the Badgers didn't get a timeout when they wanted it. If the team handn't been in the wrong formation or be rushing to get a play off coming out of a TV timeout they probably wouldn't have worried about it.

5. The running back situation will be interesting next year. You have four guys that can start PJ Hill, Lance Smith, Zach Brown, and John Clay. If I was a betting man, at least one of those guys will not be in Madison next season.

6. Coming to the game, one of the headlines was that Tennessee fans sing "Rocky Top" like other human beings eat. Well on gameday that was true. I heard Rocky Top more times than I think I possibly could. That said on New Year's Eve, me and a buddy decided to put Vols fans to the test. We started going up to randoms in orange and requesting Rocky Top. I got a lot of strange looks...and were doubting the pre-warnings, then finally about midnight, We got a few to bite and then the flood gates opened. It was all Rocky Top, all the time! I thought we were safe from the song for a few hours when we called it a night, but about 4am...the room next door was full of Vols fans....and here we go...an hour of Rocky Top...

7. As I stated above, Tennessee fans were great and like their other SEC faithful, they love talking about football and love talking about the SEC and the Vols. Most were very nice. Ive been to bowl games with Tennesee, Auburn, Arkansas and Georgia and the only ones, granted a small miniority, that were downright disrespectful were Georgia fans...but that's for another place. You didnt get a few of the "I hope its just close" comments or the typical, "you can't handle our speed" or "The SEC rules college football." They are the best league, but I get the feeling that the schools think they could go right into the NFL and compete. Again, most fans were great and its fun talking to their fans they were good, down home people. One guy in Ybor City (which is an area of Tampa with bars and clubs and such) did tell me when I asked that he actually made his own moonshine out in the woods behind his house....I take that for what its worth. He did tell me that if you add moonshine to a Watermelon or Apple Pie mix, it tasted better. Maybe, I'll try it some down.

Ok...that it from my Outback Bowl rewind....there so much more, but you can ask me those in person...trying to hang with UW students at a bar and introducing them to the importance and quality of 80s music on the jukebox(It makes you feel old)... crazy Uncle Bob, the Tennessee fan who was about 50 years old and yet took his shirt off at the bar and started singing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Adeline" Sorry Uncle Bob, that's not quite it....Walking down the main drag at 2am in Ybor City with not another person in site and for a moment fearing for my lif... seeing a police chase with five squads end five feet from us....Sonny Bar-B-Q.....Somehow ending up at the official South Florida Alumni Association Sun Bowl viewing party at LeRoy Selmon's Bar and watching the Bulls get rolled by Oregon. I didn't end up with a nice South Florida bumper sticker and a sign for the office...Clearwater Beach and Marshmellow guns....a wickedly low and fast flyover by one of our fine members of the Air Force before the game...all things that mean nothing to you, but make a bowl game a memorable event.