Good afternoon, Wisconsin. Welcome to WFHRs, Les Mekars.
Afternoon, everybody. Thanks for joining us. Welcome to the show. Got your host James behind the mic.
I am joined by our friend, Michael Comer. How you doing, buddy? Good, man. How you doing?
It's been a day. I hear you. It's been a week, actually. It has been a year already. Let's just say it. It's been a year.
We are 22 days into it. It's been a year already.
But we're here to make sure that you have a good afternoon, a good night.
We're going to have some fun at 5.30. We're going to be joined by GM and head coach of your Wisconsin Rapids River Kings.
Coach Paul going to join us with our fourth period. Talk some River Kings. I'm going to talk a little NHL with him too.
I'm going to sneak it in there. We got all that coming up. We'll talk about the coaching carousel, national championship.
Baseball Hall of Fame. We're going to cram all this in. Do want to get a programming note in real quick.
Tomorrow in this time slot, normally we have community stories, Jr. with Melissa Kay, one of the best shows we produce.
And Mel does an amazing job with that show. She's on hiatus for the month of January.
So we've been playing kind of repeats and some unlabeled, some set faces of music.
Tomorrow, we're going to play a special episode of director's playhouse.
A couple hours ago, Michael, I got to record an episode with Colin Mockery and Sadmaki who are doing a hip rave, a hip rock.
It's a show that is coming to the theater and also the grand theater this Saturday.
Colin, world famous and famous from whose line is it anyway and some other things.
And now, a sad, just an amazingly funny guy. We're all renowned hipnotists.
I had a blast talking with those guys. It was a fun conversation. We got the episode recorded.
We're going to get it on for you tomorrow in this time slot. So be listening for that everybody. It's going to be a lot of fun.
And I'm honest, I'll be honest with you guys, man. This was a get for us.
I didn't know that we'd be able to land this kind of interview. That was pretty fun.
It was a fun time. We had a good time with them. We're going to have a fun time with you.
The phone lines are open 715-424-2600. Hit us in the numbers. Come on. Hit us up 424-2600.
I wanted to start, Michael, local with the proposal to overhaul prep football playoff system
receiving overwhelming support from the coaches in the league.
We have a great article on this at civicmedia.us. You can find it there for you if you'd like.
Use that handlight. Shout out to Jimmy Casca and do a good reporting on this one.
And I know that this is something that's close to you, not just personally, but just in reporting wise.
Something that you've been focusing on too. If not this particular subject, just the WIA in general.
Talking about them and focusing on them over the years. For those that have ever read the article,
don't know what I'm talking about.
A plan that would drastically change the qualification process for the postseason in high school football
received overwhelming support from their coaches, from the coaches in the league.
That's according to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, which made the proposal and conducted the survey in December.
Their president is also the head coach at Sun Prairie East.
And Siski.
Yeah, and he said that the plan received strong interest from coaches all across Wisconsin.
Quote, we've got about 425 coaches in the state and 400 of them took time to do this survey.
Kamiski said that again, received overwhelming support.
A system that makes sense and brings much needed transparency is what people are looking for.
And I think you could say that about just about any playoff and just about anything in life right now.
So I think just being fair about this, they're going to be tinkering with the college football playoff from now until the end of time.
I have a hard time believing we're going to see a lot of consecutive years where things are the same as they were last year.
I don't think it's surprising if when you've got even more schools involved and more involved, you're trying to figure this out.
Football is the only sport that they are considering doing any postseason changes to.
And these are postseason changes they're talking about.
And essentially what they're looking to do is I think do essentially what we were looking for.
And having the teams that match up, best matching up and having the best teams go on.
You know, whoever that might be.
It's an interesting thing and there's still a lot of time here before they make any real decisions on this one.
I don't think any decisions they make would certainly affect in the 2025 season.
I'm sure that anything that comes into play will be next season.
It'll be 26 is what they'd like to do is they like to do it on two year increments.
So like for example, assumption has already set there and said, hey, we're going to 11 man or player, whatever term you want to use 11 man or eight man, excuse me, starting 2026.
That's to avoid any punishment that they have coming by because changing schedule schools got to find an alternate opponent.
Yada, yada, yada, yada, yada with all that.
So that's why it's like a two year program.
So yes, at that time when they re-evaluate conference placings, everything like that, that's when they'll do that.
Because another thing that they have mentioned and whether or not it happens or not is dropping back down to six full divisions.
And that would instead of seven and that seventh would actually become a full eight man division.
Now what we'll see whenever that actually happens, your guess is as good as mine.
It is the WIA, they don't, in my opinion, really, I'm not sure if they can read a map sometimes.
But that's part of it and the big thing that gets them with this, and you'll have to sit and describe it because I haven't read too much on to it.
All the events been very popular.
It really got the big push this year after the WIA screwed up and they kept out a couple schools that should have been in and had teams in that shouldn't have been.
And that's where things get a little more interesting to me because I remember that conversation clearly.
And I agreed with the conversation, you know what I mean, I saw where people were coming from on it.
And Wisconsin only 240 teams make the playoffs, 224 in traditional 11 player and 16 in 8 player.
With over 400 programs, that means that less than two thirds of all teams advance through the both season.
Other sports are sponsored by the WIA, all play meaning every team makes the playoffs.
That of course is a little bit more difficult with the physical nature of football.
You know how many games and asking these kids to play in games that could get them hurt quite bluntly.
Right.
It is a lot to ask.
So football specifically limited by this, the guidelines allow for one varsity contest to be played each week.
And that's it.
Yes.
So that part plays into it as well.
But because of that football postseason is limited to seven divisions of 32 teams and covers five weeks, wrapping up the week before Thanksgiving at Camp Randall.
For reduced player football, it's a 16 team single division playoff that covers four weeks and ends in Wisconsin rapids.
Yes.
So qualifying for the playoff field as currently constructed is simple math.
The teams at the most wins get in and the qualification to clinch the spot before winning conference record 11 player football.
Yeah, you have to have at least right now at seven. A lot of teams have seven.
Well, they should all have seven conference games.
So you win four. You're in for sure. And then you win your non conference games or the more.
It's just a better seed that you can get in the playoffs the way it sits right now.
Adding to this making this a little muddy though is a team multiple teams time for remaining playoff spot to fill out the field when there aren't enough teams that are have winning conference records.
A common issue has the number of programs at the 11 player level has dropped to around 360 for 2627. Something you were just touching on.
Yes. And that's why they want to drop back down to six divisions from seven.
And plus football divisions aren't set until the 224 team qualifying field is picked within that.
There are even more tie breakers that determine divisions and all of this.
Right. And then there's a playoff success multiplier, which makes things even more of a headache.
Yeah. And I think that one of the things that is noted here is the mistake that was made last year.
Yeah, with Madison West and a couple others. And they're noting that. And I from what I'm seeing some accountability on the WA is a part for us.
And I know it sounds like all I do is rag on the WIA and that's not what I mean to do because they have a tough they do have a tough job.
They've got rules they have to follow and let's be honest. Not everyone's going to be happy with things. I get it.
And that's one where honestly they've made mistakes in the past. And well just ignore that.
And that's one where they they acknowledged it. And I mean I applaud them for that because that got that got pretty contentious stone down Madison area of the region street.
So the specific tie breaker deals with teams that do not have a winning conference record.
That tie breaker calculates opponent conference winning percentages of teams defeated.
And I guess this is where the computers got things all haywire last year. Right. And this is a part this is part of the what they're looking to fix this year.
And not just qualification but the working with these things. And I think what again what this is coming down to is maybe less maybe even less teams making the playoffs.
And but the right teams making the playoffs if I can work in toward that poorly I admit.
But you know because I don't I mean every one of these kids you like to see go on and play as many games as possible every day.
Absolutely. But this is also about winning and losing and you know well so is life in the right.
So I mean it's a quick lesson right there if you don't always get what you deserve or you want.
But or think you deserve.
What is the new proposal? Well announcing the proposal to solve the two main issues with the current system.
First it would divide the states 364 11 player football teams into 752 team divisions.
Each of those the top 32 teams would qualify. This would mean each team would know their divisions before the season begin.
Okay that that sounds fair. Right on right now it sounds good to me right now it sounds all right to me.
Second the system would reward wins rather than winning percentages weighing victories against other winning teams or larger division squads more than beating small school teams.
So strength of schedule basically now here's my question here's my first question with that a team like Wisconsin Rapids.
They're bigger than River Falls Rice Lake.
Okay and let's be honest the record stands for itself what Wisconsin Rapids was last year notice respect to Tony notice respect to any of the kids or anybody the record indicates.
Okay and then you have Rice Lake who I think nearly missed out on the state championship or I forget I forget.
I don't remember I'm spacing at the moment but anyways so we look at that and then say okay well Wisconsin Rapids you are you being punished for getting beat by a very good school that's smaller than you.
Or is River Falls or Rice Lake being punished for beating a school that's bigger than them that's not very good.
Or are they being rewarded for beating a team that's bigger than them but not very good.
And the other thing I also want to stress with this which has nothing to well it does have everything to do with it.
Enrollments not or the divisions is not based on talent it's strictly based on enrollment and sometimes those smaller enrollments are way better.
The talent in that community the talent in the youth leagues is way better than what's in those bigger communities.
The proposed formula is available on the WFCA website and a market transparency the coaches say is missing in the current setup so that is something that are already trying to get on and be better about.
That is one thing that I've heard coaches say all the time and even in its basketball since they went to that electronic computer seating which they've ironed the kinks out of that and I'm very impressed with how they've done it.
It doesn't necessarily go on some of the things like head to head isn't a type isn't a factor in that and I sit there and scratch my head and say are you sure it maybe it should be there.
The new system was proposed by Edward head coach Jesse Norris and assistant Adam LaVoy according to the FWFCA release it's based on Ohio's playoff qualifying.
Oh, it's so high a thing never mind forget it. I don't like this. I don't know anything about football in Ohio. What do we do?
We'll see how this one plays out. For the audience look behind the curtain a little bit I kind of threw this at Michael.
So I appreciate you played a log man and everything because I really did want to talk about this and just not not that we're going to this and put a pin and we're just putting a pin in this.
We'll get back to it a little bit later. We did want to get it out there.
The audience familiar with it in case they haven't heard about the story again you can find the complete article at civic media dot us and both Michael and I and a Randy I imagine we'll be talking about this and covering this story pretty closely.
I mean I've got to read up on it. I haven't had the time I've got so much going on in my life with with high school sports and else wise.
But it's one thing that I sit there and say you know maybe this I'm like anybody is change always good is change always needed and if it's not needed it's definitely not good.
But at the same time but at the same time this one is one I've seen it go wrong and I mean I there is something though I will say is when you see.
They do a little bit of strength of schedule for example DC Everest was the seven seed in the what would be considered the Northwest quarter until last year's playoff bracket and they won the Wisconsin Valley conference.
The six seed was Stevens point a team DC Everest beat.
Okay well we'll see where that goes.
Well point didn't make it out of the first round. Everest made it all the way to the state semi finals.
And that's where I sit there and say well you did your computer work here but anyone that knew anything around here as far as high school sports if you paid attention to it.
Maybe Everest should have been the six instead of the seven yeah it's just one number who cares he settled it on the field anyways but.
There's there's always going to be king sugar and have to work out talk a little bit about the coaching carousel a couple of stops have been made on the carousel the.
There's announced a recently that the bears have signed Ben Johnson we've talked about that a little bit on the show and just today that the New York Jets have hired Aaron Aaron Glenn deep as a coordinator current former defense coordinator for Detroit Lions.
Also should be noted if you didn't know Aaron Glenn was a first round pick with the New York Jets this is a real full circle moment for him.
I will say the last time I think the last time I watched hard knocks oddly enough I did not really watch the bears on it I didn't really it was okay but I it was almost I was too close to it.
I like the Detroit Lions one and I watched it and one of the reasons I liked it was watching Aaron Glenn yeah and a quote from me and a kind said I think is really important with this guy every single person that is played with him and that was work with him would run through a brick wall for this guy yes now I bring that up in part because of something Michael and I were talking about in our pre game because that is one part of coaching motivating getting guys riled up especially in this sport and I think that we can all agree that that is a big part of coaching.
I love love he Smith I like him and respect him as a human being and as a man me too but my god he drive me crazy some games man where my team is giving it all or we're behind by 21 or something in love he just blank face just on the sideline blank face no motion no nothing yeah the games were up by 21 we're actually scoring and it wasn't just Evan Hester I look at love he Smith blank face nothing going on like I like it I grew up with my dick I grew up you knew when he was mad and even when he was mad he was happy.
I like my home grand I like these guys that that they just get they energy and stuff and I think that there's a little bit of coaching in football that you need that I think you need a little dog in you I think you need a little of that it's part why I think the former players were that they were good or not make the best coaches I really do think that they've had to have played at some level in some way the game just to relate with these guys on some level to a degree.
I think Aaron Glenn's got that back that box check I think so too. Boy though to be a good coach on in that organization like um Robert Salo I thought was true true true uh so I mean I hope that I'm hoping for him to succeed I I think that the league I'm going to be honest with everybody I think the NFL would be so cool if we had 32 competitive teams if we had 32 great coaches we had 32 great quarterbacks I want every
everybody to be good I I personally don't like beating up on somebody with one arm I don't think that's any fun I want to know for the person with one arm especially uh I
and thankfully I've never been in that situation won't wear the other either side right right right I want to see competition I think that's when you really deserve a win I think that's when it's fun um to me part of the reason it was fun that N.I.U.
beat Notre Dame is that Notre Dame was trying they the healthy squad they have no excuses for that game um to me that's the fun win it wouldn't have been fun I wouldn't be talking about that game still months later if well Riley Leonard was out and they're starting you know right right and their head coach wasn't there you know all these things that
that doesn't make any sense to me so I think it'd be fun to see Aaron Glenn succeed as much as all these new coaches but the rate but the we all know the rate of that that doesn't tend to happen very often
and taking this you know a little bit leaning into our division and what we care about around here how this affects the Detroit Lions is going to be so interesting
um we both have different the same kind of point on this but we're coming at it from different angles like a lot of things with us which I love yes yes you know that's
you know you talk just because you were a player in the NFL and you were on bad teams doesn't mean that you're a bad coach or you were a bad player
I mean I remember 2008 when I was at Lambo Field last game of the year Green Bay 1 6 and 10 Detroit 1 0 and 16 yeah that was a bad Detroit team but they had good players
well one especially Megatron he was there he's an all-time great so that that doesn't mean he was back he was on a bad team
so so we'll put it that way or Aaron Hernandez he was on a really good team doesn't make him I mean I won't say you think
well player but a person I mean we have that answer yeah but the thing that I know James is talked about all year and motivation
Dan I call him Dan Bruce Campbell just because the old evil dead days Bruce Campbell the actor so I I screw up with that sometimes
great so Dan Campbell is a motivator you could get James little scrawny James here to run through a brick wall knock me down and
everything there and that's he's a motivator he is a motivator and that's I don't care what level you're at high school
college professional if you spark a fire under these back sides here that means a lot but how good of a is he of a coach
now that's the question because they've asked that about everybody and maybe that I'm probably not the first one to ask that question
but you have these good coordinators Glenn Johnson they're good coordinators and Johnson who went to the windy city
there he's got he took the offense of lying coach from Detroit now the players are still there the players are still there
but who do they get to fill them and that's that's where that's where I'm in our see with Detroit because it's not like Detroit's
where Minnesota is where oh boy we need to sign a bunch we're losing everybody free agent because they loaded up for this
year they did yeah and they surprisingly did well I mean it bit them in the end but no pun intended
but but that's what we see what happened by the end of the season now Detroit decent team very decent
team but at the same time I sit there and I question a little bit how much was it these system coaches I mean the
players are there and they were motivated there ready to go but how much was a dance coaching because we saw all these
trick plays he ran these gold gambler man Ron Rivera I guess but at the same time you can only live so long on continuous
trick plays and I'm wondering the same thing in a different matter if Campbell made them or if if how much
decision making he was making and how much was them you know there was a couple of plays in that championship
game on offense and defense that we could all question I'm curious was it Aaron Glenn making that was a bad
Johnson making that was it Campbell you know it we don't know it's going to be interesting to see how this plays
on the next year or two with that team I and I think that regardless of if Detroit is a playoff team or
division winner next year nobody nobody's going to play them and not know it not feel it on Monday right and so that
makes them a little bit competitive a little bit dangerous right in the soda is you're so right about this
it's so interesting because they were supposed let this year was not supposed to be for that right this was a
rebuild the fact that they that they won and it's weird to say this but in some ways it hurts their
their progression because of the not just the lower draft pick but losing bodies
to schedule tougher on paper yeah yeah it almost like it almost hurts them having a good season
like it's weird to think of but it kind of does in the in the progress of this team right now a good
good GM which I think they they have a fairly good GM if not a good GM they they you can make
up for that you can we we see it all the time in L.A. with Sean McVeigh and what he does and how he
finds a pukin of cool or somebody like that right nobody really had on the radar yeah or Jordy Nelson back in
the day he was another one that no one had out there I remember that guy he's got a guy for this stuff yeah
yeah and and I think a similar thing in in some other or organizations I absolutely Baltimore especially
yes Baltimore knows something yeah well I don't know what I don't know what to do yeah both those teams I swear
man it seems like every time they they can have they can be drafted in somebody that four years in
college I'm like I don't know about that guy he they Baltimore dress I'm like oh well okay wait a
minute I know nothing they must know something because I don't know anything now no the one thing that I will
say about I watched Ben's press conferences man they love Green Bay down there whenever I hire
anybody because it's first thing they talk about yes is that but then then you know I looked at I said how long has he
been a Detroit it was just 2022 and I looked at that and I said no yeah he he's got room to talk he's
what five and one against Green Bay he's like you know because he said the line about wanting to be
there it's he's tight while beating the floor twice a year or whatever it was and I'm like okay all right I see what you say and I get it and then I looked at those
schedules all but one have been one possession games yeah one score games so I mean I mean if you want to look at the
merit of a W where now okay okay we can leave it right there I mean I'll be the first one to say yeah okay
leave it right there but if you look at the numbers are you man you're you're getting the wins but are you
not likely you know stepping on their throats are you viscerating them are you no you're not you're not so so that's where I'm
like it's like coming to the season how everyone's so excited about okay the Williams with all the receivers above the defense will be okay cool cool
that's that's great but at the end of the day are you going to be able to sure you'll hit the win but there's always something to be
said about looking sexy will doing it and and and and you get what I'm saying on that sure you're winning these
blue collar these blue collar one score games like Minnesota this year but okay but people could say the same
thing about Green Bay well you won all those games but how many were against decent teams well they won they won two
games against playoff teams the other ones were losses against playoff teams and they beat a bunch of teams that
didn't make the playoffs okay I get your point I mean I see it all I truly do but but you know I'm looking at that I'm like well he's
already he's already fired the shot across about now can he now can he now can he back it up to your point
levy smith did something very similar in his opening press comments about Green Bay you know beat Green Bay a lot
of that it's it's something that coaches do in every market to speak to the fans because they know it's what fans want Jim
Tressel did it for crying out loud at Ohio State it I'll say right away as somebody who has spent half my life in Illinois
half my life in Wisconsin guess what to Green Bay fans and Chicago fans you both live in each other's heads
yep oh yeah oh yeah it's it's hilarious to me as somebody who has a so much family on both sides
of this argument and has lived in between these states my whole life absolutely hilarious and and I love it
I absolutely love it it's my favorite thing in sports it is my absolute favorite thing by far and away
the the Chicago Green Bay rivalry is is my not only my favorite thing in sports my favorite story in sports
it's not just because of the rivalry in the game to be right the history of this we all can take pride in that
even if we don't like each other we can all come together on that part it's like the song that's the bear's fight song
you know the bear still suck it's would fire as far as football rivalries were both number one yeah it's true
and it's true there is no NFL without this rivalry there's absolutely that's such a cool thing to think
about when you think about where this game is gone everything we're going to be starting the fourth
period when we come back GM head coach of here Wisconsin Rapids River Kings coach Paul going to join us
in a few right here on playmakers probably brought you by quality plus printing getting your words
out right here in Wisconsin Rapids welcome back everyone to WFHRs playmakers
got your host James here join by Michael Coleman we hope you guys are having a great one out there
we're going to kick off the fourth period now we have GM head coach of here Wisconsin Rapids River Kings
coach Paul Peckman with us right now coach good to have you with us how you been I'm doing great man
thank you we will get into the past game and the event that you guys were doing with the scrimmage
I want to talk about that with you but I don't know if this is a curveball or not
but I'm going to try something here I wanted to bring up with you and and being honest with you guys
I'm going for a hat trick today this is my third interview third bigger interview that I want to nail
I got to get this one right so I'm curious how you thinking about the NHL all star game this year
and what they're doing they're doing things a little bit differently for those that haven't heard
the NHL is doing something where they're going to have four nations face off that will consist of a total of seven games
played over nine days they've got the Canada finish team and the American team and the Swedish team
and that's how they're going to do this and they're going to have all them playing up against each other
and as a side note the American team looks pretty dang good especially with Halley and the goal and everything
what do you think of this setup what do you what do you think what they're doing here
I think it's good it's always good to mix things up every once in a while right I mean you get in a routine
you do things for a little while and then you then you kind of change it up so I'm okay with it
I always enjoy you know it's like the Olympics or anything like that right yeah
it's always good to see competition like that and the country's going against
and it just brings the country back you know it just gives you something to cheer for so yeah I'm okay with it
I like any excuse to chant USA I'll be honest yeah I'm a complete Homer and I admit it
and I love you hit it on the head for me it's like a mini Olympics I kind of I dig that I kind of like that of it
I have to be because you don't include Russian
they were on the back right but I was well done those well done
and we're excited I'm excited for this I look forward to seeing how this plays out
that'll be coming up real soon the NHL All-Star Weekend is right around the corner
let's go ahead and get more local here with our Wisconsin Rapids River Kings
Coach first I want to talk about the last game you guys played up against the Northwest Steel
what were your takeaways from that game?
well I thought we we came out and we executed exactly what we needed to do I thought we played very very well defensively
we smothered them we know that this is going to be one of the teams that we're probably going to have to base
at some point in the playoff run to get back to the nationals
so it's a team that that can has beaten us already twice and so I thought we did very well
we handled the little bit of adversity with all that BS that happened in the second period
and stay focused and true to our game plan and I thought we executed really well
yeah I haven't had a chance to really look at the box score other than the score of the I saw you guys won
so I mean we can talk off here about what happened in the second period
but you know that you face you have a bunch of good goalies here
I always like talking about the goalies because I just love the love the position on the ice
I've always been I've had friends in high school that were goalies
so that's always something I've always really appreciated
but you guys have good ones you just saw a really good one from from the squash
and you faced another tough one from the express here is fresh waters
the top notch goalie as well so I mean just talk about you know facing him so many times
you got the better of a couple times you got the better view a couple times
but just the string of really good goal tending that you're facing
and I mean you're getting to that February frenzy so to speak because it's really going to matter really soon
well and we're going to face another one this weekend right
Needle Corners the guy that's played just about every game
right this entire year and this kid faces about 50 shots
he's an Iron Man yeah yeah so at some point he's got to get tired
right right and hopefully it's before he faces you and not after
hopefully we make him tired right and that's the job for us
and we talk about it all time is listen we play fast we play hard we play physical
right and we got to have we got to get pucks then that and you can't score if you don't put pucks on it
right so that's the game plan we have plenty of offensive talent that we can get there
and in a hurry right and so I think the last time we played him which was
the second game of the season we had 55s 58 shots against them
right because you played one up there then two here and then one up there
I thought it was north west okay I'm talking about the mallets
oh okay okay now okay nevermind yep so yeah so I think you know I think
the same thing's going to happen here I think we're going to come at him and we're just going to go you know
if we play our style I think we'll be fine and as long as we are in
this today in practice we had to pull things in a little bit and give a little bit
and make sure you guys understand the responsibilities and we don't we don't drift
and we stay true to his structure we'll be fine when we get away from that we're in trouble
so you know and same thing no matter who we're playing northwest you're playing the
squat you're playing mallets these are all good teams right so you have to play
your game and when you get away from that you get in trouble
these are all good teams but we are getting we're getting to a point in the
season where I think some teams are starting to notice hey we're probably not
going to go to the postseason some teams are when playing against teams that
I don't want to say have nothing to play for because all these players are playing
for a scout playing for the scene playing for the next level and everything so
these kids are all playing their tails off and I don't like the idea of saying
that any team is bad I'm just trying to go by records it's certainly not about
about effort or anything like that but you are playing you know human beaks
and it's human being and human instinct to go out there and know if I'm not
playing I know these are my last games I'm going to go out there and give my
all so you really are playing even if you are playing the same team again
and again this team is got a different energy this time and this team is coming
at it from a different angle this time so how for you guys who are playing for
you know to to play for home ice here and that you you got something to play
for how does that fall out on the ice it seems like it it did a little bit
this past game it seems like it has it other times at this point in the season
and can going forward keeping your team focused on the goal well that's just
it is it is using that as motivation right I mean we talk about it beginning
of every practice every chance that we're in meetings or whatever you know
what's the goal here the goal is listen you know we have to win out we can't
lose another game so we have to make sure that when we're practicing right I
want things to be perfect and we all know that that's never going to happen
but I want guys to really focus in on making their game as close to perfect
whether it's passing tape to tape in an empty area or putting it I want to know
that everything we're doing is for the purpose so that when it comes game
it's second nature right so and when you really get guys to hone in on that
and just dial in things go a lot more smoother right and all of a sudden
it's it's it's it becomes so fluid and and then you know hopefully that
translates to game time you guys had a blue and white scrimmage up in
Marshfield last week on the 17th how did that go well well well it was a lot of fun
we get on the ice first shot throwing one most breaks of glass
it's just a luck but they were fast I mean it was done within 10 minutes
changed and ready to go and had fun it was about 150 people there and it was
a great time boys played played hard play fun and it was a good experience
everybody really appreciate that and and you just don't know how many of
those kids we spark something and you know and we got we got a more kids
playing for the for the Americas and I can chant USA even more going into the future
which it's really what this is about now it is it's it's when the phrase
I've always loved the phrase building hockey up and down the river it's a great
line but it's more than a line it's much more than that especially to you
and I respect that I appreciate that as somebody who loves this game so
much and it's just a fan of this team that's what we need we need that
championships are great wins are awesome but man that is where it comes for
me that that's where the money is really made that's where you really
build a legacy is building this game in the for the future of the game
well that's just a goal right I mean it's about getting as many kids
excited about wanting to come to the rank whether they're playing or watching
right and hopefully they can they can take a love
to being part or seeing the river Kings on a weekly basis or whatever
and and having that be their team right and I don't care what community
you're from hopefully they get to enjoy good hockey and that's what it's about
much like the fashion the mullets are back
come mullets are coming to town this weekend as a reach it was a reach I bet
well I mean they they are and they are back in fashion I mean with the hockey
flow some of them look like the mullets so I mean just just laying it out there
mullets coming to town we again another team but we have faced a number of times
if I'm seeing this right this last time we're playing them in the regular season
does that mean anything different for you the boys for the team?
No I think it's you know work is usual right
let's just stay stay focused on what the goal is here
and obviously we need four points and so we're
going to continue to work in progress during the weekend
and get ready for that we know who we're playing we're doing our homework we're
making sure guys are watching film and and know what the weaknesses are
and how to take advantage of certain things and let's just hope we execute
we appreciate the time coach and I hope as you are especially in the middle of the
week here and everything so Ken thank you so much for coming in hanging out
with us. Remind everybody again you have the Kings in town this week
that's shown when home ice advantages we got games on Friday and Saturday
seven o'clock puck drop we will have these games for you on their sister station
WRI 2055 join Michael and Seth for those
it should be a lot of fun if not Seth will have somebody else on the board
and rumor has it this weekend for both games
every Kings Pep band will be there that's right that's right thank you for that
man yeah and thank you for the work you've been doing on this to be covering the game
all right doing a great job coach great to talk to you thank you again for the
time
follow your boys the winter as they build hockey up and down the river at river
Kings hockey dot com will take a quick time out we'll come back with more
show here on on playmakers here at WFHR
welcome back to playmakers everybody hope your hell having a great night out
there we certainly are here GM head coach of Paul what's got
rapid river King coach Paul joining us here a little bit of overtime for Michael
coach oh man that was fun and hearing everything about that
wow yeah I wish I would have seen it I could talk to that man all night
appreciate everybody joining us tonight we still got 15 minutes of show feel
free to call up and join the conversation seven one five four two four
twenty six hundred looking forward to hanging out with you all
I got a stat of the show one of the get to just throw this one in there
and then we'll talk a little baseball Hall of Fame and some stuff there but
it's an old stat one that I brought up before but I heard it over the week
and and I just had to bring it up one more time Larry Fitzgerald is one of
the only NFL players actually the only NFL player right now who has more
career tackles than drops sounds about right well with his some of the
quarterbacks he had a through a lot of interceptions yeah I can see it
forty one career tackles to twenty nine dropped passes over his career
just I don't think you're going to see that again I know I think that the
closest that there is right now is in statistically is the Andre Hopkins
and he's getting towards the tail end of his career and he doesn't have
anywhere near the tackles or anything like that it just speaks to part of
I have a hard time saying this because growing up I just really love Jerry
Rice and I like watching him and I Andre Ryzen and some of these guys that
are really enjoyed watching that's the best I've seen at the position that
that that's the best one of I mean make make a trounce up there man I'm
Randy Moss I've seen all these guys but to me overall just as a player
as an athlete as a leader as a person yes as a person as a person I think he
takes I think that's why I'm edging him that way in and I'm making a
bit in my bias towards it too that's right I think as far as physicality
goes Randy Moss was a freak yeah just insane level now if he had it
between the ears would all hold all the records would hold it yeah probably
it's the weirdest Randy Moss may be the most weird career to me and he's not
the only one like using an egg well he's kind of he's kind of the Dennis
Rodman if you want to say it that way just in the sense that he had
everything going for him and every tool you could ask for even had like
went to a franchise that had a quarterback to get on the ball twice
cunning him and call pepper and yet between the ears because of the
wasted years in LA or Oakland I can't remember where they were then or
and some of those things and the plays taking off and some of that stuff
just one thing after another and you see him and yeah he's number two and
the category is a wide receiver but we all know and nobody knows
more than him that he could be easily number one yeah and that's just the same
to kind of see it's weird to think of it that way when you've got a guy that
accomplished so much but I can't help but think yeah but yeah
in that whole conversation the big yeah but I had was when he said I'm going to
hit you with it I said yeah I should have said hit maybe a little more time
that's the biggest regret I have all that little conversation the baseball
all the fame announcements I have in yesterday
uh each Rosasuki uh uh C.C.
Sabatia and um uh Billy Wagner I made that made me okay with all three of
them uh the the biggest issue I have is each are not being unanimous
but like I said we've talked about that in the past people vote in the
baseball Hall of Fame who have absolutely no business voting in the baseball
Hall of Fame I can't I don't know what it's going to take to change this
but my god change it get on this and change it it's archaic it's it's
ridiculous there it's not the baseball Hall of Fame it's the keeper Hall of
Fame it is it's the ego Hall of Fame all it is is nothing but sports
riders and egos and this isn't a shot at sports riders I've known up
loving sports riders I do it there is there is an ego that goes with it
there is I'll be the first one to admit but I think the difference is you
know it you know it and you're aware of it and you counter it yeah you do it all
the time on the air here with us I admire that it's not easy to do that but
that's the job and you know what the hardest thing for the heart one of the
hardest things for someone to do is to admit when they're wrong and if I was
ever wrong I'd let you know what but I'll joking aside I'll joking
aside um no that's one thing the more and more uh the more more
sports journalist I met and I've met some letters NFL I've met some
college I've met some that are obviously local and some of the biggest egos
out there are though the vocal ones and I sit there and I look at them like
okay all right nothing that's cool but your opinions don't differ the
mind it holds the same monomeric there's no reason for you to act that way and
we both can think of some names I'm sure we can the probably there's some
that are the same on our lists but uh it enough not dragging anybody out by
any means but uh there there's some humility and if you don't know yet
don't know and that's where I have an issue with the with the baseball
Hall of Fame of same issue I have with when they do the media pull for
college football you didn't stay up to watch the the West Coast so you
don't know anything about USC you don't know anything about Hawaii you
don't only think about San Jose State because you've been watching football
since well thank god eleven in the morning not in Charlotte or in Tampa
and by then by the time they're kicking off your midnight you know
regardless of what you how you voted and we do see it every once in a
while nowadays with social media and everything but I I feel like okay
you get this vote that's fine you got to come out and say why you didn't
vote for this guy or why you did vote for that guy or what had
there's more and more that are doing that however yeah yeah there and I want
to be fair about that there are a lot more that are doing it but I I
want some as a fan of the game which should come first the fans I think
that we have more understanding of this game than sports writers do in many
ways and and there is a bigger dedication involved there's also a lot
more bias involved there is so I don't think that the answer to this is well
would just let the fans vote we all know how that goes but look at any
all star voting in any sport at all you know but there's got to be a
middle ground here between the gatekeepers and the egos and the fans and the
bias there's got to be some kind of that can be decide that make this a
lot more consensus because I don't know how anybody please call up 424
2600 if you don't think each of Suzuki was a first ball at Hall of
Famer 100% I don't know who else this man could have done in his baseball
career to what was he missing what is it in the answer that the person that
didn't vote for him what answer did they have other than you know what I just
didn't like them like give give it yeah I would almost accept that because
at least it's something yeah I don't agree with it and I think you deserve to
have your vote taking from you but at least we get some kind of answer all
we got now is well I know that another guy didn't make it it's another one
of these situations where we made it just not yeah 100% yeah yeah yeah yeah
and I feel like that's too I didn't want to spend too much time in this
because I don't like focusing on the negative I want to focus on the positive
but I did think that was not worth it and I appreciate you bringing it up
is again not only did we see eye to eye on that one but I don't think we're
alone I think a lot of people are tired of this I am to it like I said I brought
up the college football media voting for in the top 25 that that's where I
just you know it's a low to BS that's you you you you're only the East Coast
bias which you see that in other things in sports do you see it on the weather
channel you see it that that oh we just got done freezing it up here they didn't
really care much except for when I hit the East Coast
so I mean you see the frustration on that but but man I just don't know how
you he doesn't go in a hundred percent I know that Billy Wagner
deserves his flowers it's good to see that happening and everything I think
that's low for two I will say that with the C.C. Subatia move I believe he's
probably going to go in as a Yankee more in life you should but I hope that
Brewer fans take a little pride in it in him because there's no way he gets
to the Hall of Fame without that stint with the Brewers right and what he did
and those 19 20 games or whatever it was he played he made his Hall of Fame I
remember watching that thinking if he keeps going and he has a decent career
from here out he's going into the Hall of Fame and like baseball writers
love these iron horses love these guys like this yes and he was one of the last
ones we didn't know at the time but kind of one of the last ones we could count
on going nine innings given you nine in that him another one that was in there
was Andy Pettit who was one that you could count on that another one who's
not eligible yet Adam Wayne right yeah oh yeah and his younger days and his younger
days Wayne writes Chris Carpenter he was another one that you could I mean that
wouldn't St. Louis one at 10 Chris Carpenter he won a full game against the fillies
beat him one nothing in game five and he outdulled was that Pettit oh yeah
was that oh yeah that's a good question so so there's there's there's that
and then you just see what he did in that World Series that year he pitched
I think in three games just like who was it from the from the from the
from the giants that did that that one your bum Gardner yeah yeah Madison
bum Gardner so I mean he's not there yet but should he be yes oh yeah I mean
these guys that I'm throwing out I'm not throwing mocks or cardinals or
anything like that but these are the iron horse things that you talked about
and CC boy if it wasn't what the point that I was making with CC was I remember
back in the day with with the Brewers or the Braves it was spawned in Spain in a
rain because that was a two big pitchers my grandpa has talked about that and
they're gonna win a lot of games if they could get those two days those two
pitchers then a day or two off because of rain then travel day and then they
pitch them again then they're gonna you know whatever and then the schedule
be all messed up and maybe you'd get them for all your games but the thing that
worked so about the in green or in green Bay of Milwaukee was he had no help
otherwise yeah but I mean if they if he could have pitched those three games and
blown out of shoulder unfortunately that's what would have happened who knows
what Milwaukee would have done 2008 but unfortunately it just didn't work out
that way but when he was there good gracious he was untouchable congratulations
to him and everybody making it in real quick in the last minutes here we had
the national championship happen Ohio State beats Notre Dame pretty handed
Lee do you think the best team won? I think the team that got hottest at the
right time one but at the same time you man I never want to hear anyone say
another thing but fire in the eye and day and I never and that's the thing
Ohio State this is where it matters I mean maybe George is there at the
quarterback please I think it showed Texas was Texas I'm good but were they
there and I mean then it showed of course the Boise states the SMU's it
maybe it showed and to counter that maybe it showed Arizona states yeah but
that's another case of who got hot at the right time I really hope that Ohio
State not only backs off a little bit and appreciates what they have in Ryan
Day and I'm not I'm not a Ryan Day fan no I do think as somebody who I don't
have anything like that in my coaching history I think I would like a coach
like that I just spend a little money and and get them some good beard
stuff because the sharpie that he is using to do that beard is just it's too
evident man get a good pay some money have go into a barber shop and have
him do a professionally if you're going to have a done man like because right
now it looks like they literally took a sharpie to him like well we got as a
black marker let's go ahead and just fill this as a man from the bearded lifestyle
it I'm not impressed with what he's doing and I couldn't help maybe it's just
because he's been in my brain because of the possibility of him coaching the
bears but it may I'm seeing him holding that thing up and I thought of the
same thing when I saw Mike McCarthy holding up the Liberty trophy I'm like man
they he won that huh like huh okay see that coming okay that guy could win
one too I like and I don't know just like we were talking about with Campbell
earlier I don't know if Mike McCarthy won that Liberty trophy or Aaron Rogers did
I say the defense won that I say Kevin Green won thank you thank you yes yeah
100% 100% you're right about that but I and you know what my point yes I get
Ryan Day and and did Ryan Day win that or that incredible offense with 13
number one draft picks on it win yes offense offense and defense right
it's a great the level of talent that Ohio State has been able to bring in
that's that's something yep yep and we'll see how much that changes as they look to
change transfer portal oh yeah because they they've benefit but they have the
pockets to benefit I know that it's an ugly and an uncomfortable situation for
everybody involved Miami with Wisconsin this young man this cornerback
and I need to read more on that I do too but I will say one thing that I know
that I do enjoy about this story does anybody realize the NCAA has been playing
with with just loosely with all of this and that there is no actual transfer
portal there's no time frame there's no actual transfer portal so what they but
this kid did whether you like it or not was call them out on this and say hey
you said there's there's no time frame here there is no actual portal you need to do
that you need to make this happen so the NCAA has to actually do something they
actually have to do their job now they have to actually come up with okay well
actually the transfer portal is you know may first through this you know date or
whatever yep they got to actually put this in writing now because there's nothing in
writing right now so I hate this story I hate what's happening here but I do enjoy
at least the NCAA being called out and hate you been trying to escape by on this
you got to actually do some work here like the NCAA does usually does exactly
I hear is hoping that at the end of all of this we actually get a governing
body that actually is a governing body that actually does something and it's not
just a bunch of rich guys collecting money off of young kids and it's open to
open records to yeah yeah because they what they're doing right now
it all they're doing right now is kicking the can and just sitting there counting
their money they're discounting their money and laughing laughing at you so what do
you do all day nothing man I'm not knowing looking at YouTube videos what about
you like that's what the heads of all these NCAA organizations are doing right now
not working at all well and with all that money make sure you make the check out
to Mike Comer at 1116 please do please do yes yeah but our team deserves it
we had a great schedule lined up for you we have the state of the state
address coming up here and at seven o'clock right here at WFHR
we will have the great guard show for you tomorrow will be hoping to play
that for you looking forward to that we'll also have playmakers for you on
Friday Wisconsin men's hockey at 630 on Friday as well and of course river
King's hockey seven o'clock on WRI 1055 this Friday this Saturday join Michael
and the Dane for that one it's going to be a lot of fun Michael have a good night
thanks for being here you too buddy have a good night everybody
this is locally grown radio WFHR 1320 and W24 A.D.E. Wisconsin Rapids
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