Locally Sourced Edition

Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to WFHR's PlayMakers.

Hope y'all are having a great Monday out there.

Your host, James. I am joined by our partner in sports, Randy Paul.

Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon, James.

Good afternoon, Randy. Good to have you here, man.

Always good to be here.

We have a jam-packed, busy show.

Somehow, five hours of content we have to get into less than an hour.

Well, we're going to do it.

We'll figure it out. We always do.

We're going to be joined just a moment by Ross Provost from Burnin' Eights.

Looking forward to talking with him. Got the Musqueesco Expo coming up.

Looking forward to talking with him about that.

We've got WIA Tournament Action to talk about with our local teams.

Speaking local teams, our boys of Winter was the River Kings.

Victorious. They continue their reign through the playoffs.

All of that going on. And at 5.30, we're going to talk with assistant GM

of your Wisconsin Rapids rafters. Jake Adams is going to join us.

Looking forward to that.

Randy will have to take off in between then.

So we'll be sure to put him to work before that happens.

We're going to talk some high school sports that he's got for us over there.

Looking forward to it.

And Randy, one thing that I wanted to talk to you about.

I don't think we'll have time for it.

So I just want to shoehorn this in right before our interview with our good friend Ross.

Jimmy Johnson just reached some retired.

It was announced not even about two hours ago that Jimmy Johnson

is going to be retiring from Fox Sports.

Kind of looked like this was going to happen.

Two-time Super Bowl winner, one of the few guys who have won in college and the pros.

And I think it's noteworthy to both of you Ross and Randy.

Fisher. Big time fisherman. Big time fisherman.

It's part of the reason what he loves about the keys.

I guarantee you right now Jimmy Johnson is probably out on a boat fishing right now.

That's his big thing. That's what he loves to do.

Wonderful. We have the muskie exponent.

Now he might be. He's going to be free.

He's going to have more time.

Yes, exactly. We don't give any segues like this.

It's perfect.

Ross Provost. Joining us from Burnin' Aids.

Ross, how you doing?

Hey guys, I'm doing great.

Things are warming up here.

And it's good to have some nice weather here.

So get us a little amped up for open water season which is in fire off now.

So for fishing.

Former Cowboy.

So I don't know if we're going to send an invite to Jimmy.

But if he shows up, that's fine. That's fine.

That's okay.

The water's just packed.

Exactly.

Ross, before we dive into the muskie exponent and some of those things,

I want to make sure that everybody checks out your guys' YouTube page.

Be sure to go to YouTube, type in your search bar, Burnin' Aids.

And check out their latest video. They've got a great one up there.

I appreciate you guys posting that.

I got caught up on some things for the interview here, Ross.

Awesome.

Yeah.

We've been a little idle as far as our channels concerned,

just because we've been busy with family life and whatnot,

which is it's a good thing.

But as far as the fishing and filming, we took a little back seat,

but we're still trying to put out as much new content as we can

when we get time to film and then edit.

So now we're looking to hopefully get some new videos out here

in the coming months just to keep the people fresh

and with new content for muskie fishing

and getting ready for a new season here.

So...

Well, I think the best part is, Ross or Andy Paul,

here is the fact that early in the video,

I just had a chance to view it that you just put out.

I see that you had a brand new muskie on,

well, at least a nice catch on there anyway, I should say,

as you and your wife were blessed with a child.

Yeah, yeah.

We were.

That was definitely a great blessing

and we're definitely enjoying family life.

There's no doubt about that.

So, yeah, same with the guy that I fish with too.

They were blessed with kids of their own within the last year here.

And we've made a little transition from, you know,

heavy in the outdoor world to mix it up with a family life

and the outdoor world now.

So it's a good change.

We've been enjoying the family life, though.

Well, the thing I like about the videos is to get a chance to see your son

and just an adorable little guy there as well.

And then you've got on the video itself,

the man who is kind of in charge of the expo,

that'll take place not this coming weekend,

but the weekend after the 14th through the 16th.

And you have quite a conversation with him.

Right.

And that's, you know, it's kind of like what we like to do every year

with that, you know, this type of video is, you know,

sit down with the owner of the Wisconsin muskie expo

and then just get the information out the people

of when it's going to be so that they can head up there

and, you know, walk around and explore the expo.

And we also just like to put out the information

of what's some of the, you know, unique things

or different things that are common to the expo

that a guy might be looking forward to add to their arsenal

and muskie fishing baits.

I think the other thing that was notable in the video itself

was the fact that you talked about some of the things that are theirs.

There's just a multitude of booths that are going to be there

with different people and different vendors.

And I think I even remember that the fact

that you're going to have more maybe this year

than you've ever had before, new baits.

There's going to be rods and reels, art decor,

fishing like you name it.

It's going to be quite an event this year.

Right. Yeah. And I think last year they really pushed it to grow it

and they had the most vendors they had ever had.

And this year, I think they're pushing it just a little bit more

just to fit more guys in because there's obviously so many people

that want to, you know, get their product out to people

to show them what they can do to help them put more muskies in the boat, you know.

And, you know, the cool thing this year that we found out too

is there's actually two vendors that are coming all the way from Canada

to be at this, you know, expo in Rothschild, Wisconsin

or the Central, Wisconsin Convention and Expo Center.

So that's pretty cool that, you know,

there's people coming from out of the country

to Central Wisconsin here to, you know, talk muskies

and also offer their products to people.

Maybe you could tell us a little bit

if people get an opportunity to stop by your area,

what they would find when they came by there.

Right. So we've, our kind of, I mean,

where we really launched with as far as people were out, you know,

people asked about years ago, years and years ago,

with our muskies fishing, they were asked about peril,

like, as far as, you know, burn and ate a peril.

And we've really, that's kind of been our big thing.

We've done a lot with a peril, just different designs with muskies on it.

And now we've transitioned into the last few years here

just adding custom colors in some of our favorite baits

or top baits that produce fish for us.

And that's kind of, that's been a fun transition

just because we've, we enjoy coming up with new things

or new colors that catch fish, put fish in the net.

And we want to offer those to obviously our fans and viewers.

And it's great to hopefully, I mean,

we've heard stories of guys catching 50 inches

on some of our custom colors and they said,

we need a new bait because the bait's trash

because the muskie ruined it.

I got my new trophy in the net.

It's really cool to hear that, you know,

colors that we're coming up with are helping guys catch more fish

and it's great feedback for us.

So, you know, I'm like another cool thing too,

this year we've, I mean, as far as, you know,

vocal things, we actually teamed up with a vocal guy

over in Polver, Wisconsin, that he makes the baits,

but then paint some in our custom colors.

So it's a nice vocal flair to, you know,

be working with vocal guys in the area that they got a great bait

on Conquan-Colors and then he's, you know, he said,

hey, I'd love to, you know, if you guys want to,

I'd love to paint some of my baits in your colors

and they turned out phenomenal.

So that, you know, stuff like that will be in our booth too,

as well as our pair.

I'll just some of our top baits and custom colors.

Yeah, I think two things.

I know I've talked with other people in the past

when we are dragging lures that one of our favorite colors

is Fire Tiger with that kind of green gold mix.

They're not just because it's Packer Colors,

but I think you came up with a new combination as well.

Yeah, we, the new one, we just came up with this year.

We didn't have it in the video just because it's,

they're still, one of the companies was still finishing it up,

but it's going to be a fire belly perch.

So it's kind of a twist off that Fire Tiger,

like you just mentioned, which is a top producer for a lot of guys

over the years, that Fire Tiger color,

and we're interested to see what people think of it

and the success rate of it, which we think it's going to be a good one.

So we will find out.

Question for you in your booth this year,

are you going to also have a big screen TV

with some of your videos playing,

because I know that's always been a big attraction as well.

Yeah, I think that's one thing that we always tried to have front

and center for people just to,

it usually gets people to,

it strikes up conversations because the guys recognize videos

from over the years that we released,

and then they stop and talk,

and then there's also just guys that,

I mean, obviously, the more musky fishing,

you know, that you can watch.

I mean, guys probably, especially,

I mean, you know, the Expo musky, Expo like that,

that's just what you want to see is musky-titten and that,

so guys like to stop and watch that,

and it's always fun to, like I said,

strike up conversations based on those videos.

Yeah, you know, the other thing is,

I think the last couple of years you've kind of been in the same general area,

but that's never a given, is it?

They might people might have to do a little hunting

and packing to find you guys.

Yeah, I mean, I think they do move vendors around.

It sounds like we'd be about in the same area,

but, you know, like I said,

with the fact that they're trying to push more and more vendors in here,

I think, you know, I'm thinking we'll be in the same spot,

but either way, it's no matter where we are,

it's fun.

I'm just talking muskies with people,

and then also seeing, you know,

all these other vendors come up with, you know,

a new custom colors for their baits or new products,

and it really gets you excited for a new muskie season coming up here.

So, if people head up to Wasa,

they would take the first exit there for basically it's Rossile,

it's West, and it's that whole area there.

That Cedar Creek exit there,

and then you got that movie theater,

and you got the pick and say,

but it's that convention center right around the corner,

and that's the weekend, not this one,

but the following weekend,

the 14th through the 16th, am I correct on that?

Correct.

Yep, that's correct.

So, basically Friday is a kickoff around 2 p.m.,

and that goes to 8 o'clock that night,

and then Saturday, like that's a full day.

So, it's usually the busiest day just because, you know,

it's a full day and people,

I mean, some people actually,

I mean, they're coming from a long way the way,

and they buy three-day passes for this.

So, like I said, it's Friday Saturday Sunday,

and Saturday is 9 to 6,

and Sunday is 9 to 2 p.m.,

so there's still, there's a lot of hours to the expo

that I mean, if people are interested,

they can come up and explore.

Well, we're kind of hoping to get there on Saturday,

but kind of not,

because the assumption girls will be playing

for the state championship,

so if you don't see me till Sunday, you'll know why.

Oh, absolutely.

Let's hope for good results there.

Ross, I appreciate the time as always, man.

Thank you so much for joining us.

There is a three-time father,

and I think Randy would agree with this and everything.

One of the cool things about fishing,

I think, is there's no reruns.

Every time you're out there,

you never know what to expect.

Who knows what's going to happen?

And you understand that,

and you're very good at that.

And then there's parenting,

where there is no net.

There is no net big enough for your child.

There is no predicting any of these things.

You're about to have

one of the greatest adventures there is,

wishing you a year's the best, man.

Thanks so much for the time.

Have fun at the expo, Ross.

Well, thank you guys.

I really appreciate it.

It's always a joy.

It's always enjoyed being out with you guys,

and it's fun to catch up here.

So thank you.

We'll talk soon.

You have a good one.

You too.

We'll see you.

All right.

You can find out more about the expo

by going to wymuskyexpo.com.

wymuskyexpo.com.

Be sure to go there.

Everybody for more information.

Get your tickets and make plans.

Check out the expo.

Starts March 14th.

Goes on all weekend.

That whole weekend.

March 14th, 15th, and 16th.

Again, wymuskyexpo.com.

Take a short break.

We'll come back.

We'll have some more fun here on Playmakers.

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Welcome back, everybody.

Playmakers here at WFHR.

Locally grown radio.

Randy and James,

thank you so much for joining us.

We're going to be talking to Coach Paul

in just a moment.

Randy, I know you had some local stuff

that you wanted to get to first.

We got so many things going on with our

WIA teams, our local teams.

Let's catch everybody up real quick.

Well, the individual state tournament

for wrestling was held down in Madison

and Division 1 for Wisconsin Rapids.

Tanner Gormanson, state champion at

heavyweight, congrats to Tanner.

Caller Tritz followed, finished in third place

at 190 and Carter Freeman was 6-138.

Division 2 for the Nikusa Sumption Port Edwards co-op.

So here, Ostrum captured fourth place at 132

and we want to thank Michael Comer

for all of the information on that.

The state team tournament is also in Madison

this Friday and Saturday.

The boy's regular season in basketball

drew to a close last week in Wisconsin Rapids

had three games starting on Monday,

where Sean Rainus not only went over the 1000 point mark,

but he also set a school record for the most points

in a single game as he scored 43 points

and led the Raiders to a 66-53 victory over Tomah.

And then on Tuesday, Rapids came up four short

at Hortonville, 57 to 53,

and finally on Friday,

they lost at Conference Champion Marchfield, 84 to 44.

playoffs begin tomorrow evening,

as Lincoln will host Appleton West in a game

you can hear starting at about 650 on our

sister station FM 105-5 WIRI.

Speaking of 105-5, last Thursday,

the assumption Royals hosted Stratford

and were topped by the Conference Champion Tigers,

68 to 51, and this is on the boys side of things yet.

The Royals will host New Lisbon tomorrow night

in a regional quarter final.

Port Edwards also had three games last week.

They lost at Y-Wiga Fremont and Pichelli,

as well as at home to Edgar.

The Blackhawks begin the tournament trail at home

tomorrow night, entertaining Gilminton independence.

And the Crusade only won game last week

as they lost at the Delves 80 to 49.

Papermakers also at home tomorrow night

as they will take on Montello.

For the girls in high school basketball,

the regionals are already in the books.

Back on Tuesday, Port Edwards was eliminated

by number two seed Pichelli, 59 to 14.

And the Crusade was all stood 62 to 35

by the number six seed, Whitehall.

On Friday, Wisconsin Rapids was at the number three seed

and 9th ranked Hortonville.

The polar bears defeated the Raiders, 54 to 40.

Their season draws to a close with a record of 11 and 14.

Also on Friday, the assumption Royals

a leveled oil 55 to 14.

Jordan J. Linsky had 19 points

while Sarah Shaw added 13.

And then on Saturday, the Royals won their

fifth consecutive regional championship

as they blew out Elman Bancroft 62 to 26.

Adi Valert was the leading score with 16 points.

Jordan J. Linsky was just a point back at 15

while Sarah Shaw threw in 12.

So now it's on to the sectional semi-final

on Thursday.

The game is no longer in Wapaka, folks.

It's been moved.

It's now going to be an Adam's friendship at 7pm.

And there the Royals will face Pichelli,

who were also the regional champions

as they defeated Pitzville.

46 to 38.

Also from what I was able to gather

in the division two sectional finals held here

in Wisconsin Rapids, Lincoln High School finished second

in or finished in sixth place in gymnastics

and will be sending Elsa Urban

to state this coming weekend right here in Rapids.

Elsa finished second in both the bars

and in the beams.

Team Championships in Division 1 and 2 begin Friday at noon.

Well, individual champions begin at 10am on Saturday.

Two local teams were crowned

sectional champions this past weekend

and are heading to state down in Middleton

for high school hockey.

In Division 1, second seeded three dubs.

Topped the five seed, Oklahoma Memorial, three to one.

So Wassau West will now face Green Bay Notre Dame

at 2pm on Friday.

Well, in Division 2, number two, Mosenee was topped

by the top seed, Tobahawk, five to one.

They'll go against McFarland at 9.30am on Thursday

and boy, what a great segue

because it's sitting right here as Coach Paul

and they, of course, picked up a couple of w's

this past weekend at the Rec Center

defeating the Steel County Blades, three to zip

and on Saturday, six to two.

And Coach, congratulations on the w's

and now you've got a chance to take on the Northwest Express.

Thank you, buddy.

Appreciate it.

I do want to say real quick, shout out to all of our local teams.

The seasons may be over, but the memories stay.

We appreciate every one of them so much

and shout out to the assumption Lady Royals

and their continuing their work

that they're doing over there.

Just do some great work.

We're looking forward to covering that tournament

at play as much as far as they go.

We'll be covering them.

We're looking forward to that.

Like we said, Ross, we hope that will be delayed

going to the exponent of the Saturday.

As we shift gears to hockey and local hockey

in our Wisconsin Rapids River,

continuing their reign through the playoffs.

Coach, thanks so much for joining us

and for being here today.

Before we get to ahead and talk about

talking about the game coming up this next week.

And I want to rewind a little bit

and talk about how it went this weekend

for the boys.

And Randy's got to go.

That's right.

Randy, thank you for being here, man.

Thank you.

Appreciate you, brother.

Appreciate you.

Coach, playoff hockey is just different.

And with some of these guys, I imagine

it was their first time playing some playoff hockey.

Was there anything you said to the team beforehand

as far as that goes?

Or, hey, the lights are on.

It's time to go.

Well, yeah.

I mean, you got guys that haven't had the experience

so like, especially from last year, right?

So it was about keeping the game simple

and let's just get involved, right?

And don't do too much.

Stick to what we know.

And just execute the best that we can here.

Let's get the energy going.

You know, put a body on body.

Let's get on the puck.

Let's put pucks on that.

Keep it simple.

Keep it fast.

And then you'll find your groove, right?

Let's get the nerves out.

The first 20 minutes is always kind of shaky a little bit.

I like the way we showed it and took care of business.

Well, especially our goalie play.

I had to double check just to make sure.

17 or 17 is what I got here.

But either way, it's a shutout no matter how you get around it,

how many shots he saved or not.

Your choice going with him and how he responded.

Dominic is why we brought him here, right?

So it's the experience and just the level of calmness

that the kid brings.

Did a great job.

And so he's going to play Friday night.

And that's why we bring in a little bit older,

a little more experience, kind of settle things down

because we do have a lot of younger guys, right?

That it's still every level that we get to is a little bit different.

Stakes are a little bit higher.

And Dominic gives you that little sense of calmness back there,

which is nice.

And then Gilliam Tercott did a good job on Saturday.

Exactly.

And that's where I want to go next.

So Friday, three nothing shutout.

Great way to kick off the playoffs.

Really nice home crowd loving it.

Going to Saturday, 62 victory there for our Kings.

In like a lion.

Like the king of the jungle, baby.

Starting off March strong.

I love it.

That game, that game, not a, I don't want to say up and down

or anything like that.

But it did seem like that first period,

a little bit of those nerves again.

Yeah.

It's, you know, every game is different, right?

And there's all kinds of different scenarios.

And it's just, that's, this is a game of inches, right?

So the puck counts to a couple different directions.

And next, you know, you're behind, which is,

which was good for us because it's a little adversity

that you got to learn how to handle and fight through.

And luckily, we tied it up late in the third and first.

So listen, they heard about it in between periods.

And we ruffled a little couple of feathers.

And we came out and, and, and basically took over in the second

period.

So it was to be expected.

It was good.

We needed it.

You know, little smack in the teeth a little bit and wake you up.

And, hey, you know, and, and that's the way we're approaching

practice this week, you know, we're getting after.

I don't, I almost, I don't care what the sport is.

We just got done talking about it with the NFL season ended.

My dad and I talk about it every time the hockey playoffs

come around.

The difference of a team that makes it and doesn't,

everybody's going to, Mike Tyson said this best.

Everybody's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

How do you respond after that?

And, and I can't, I have a hard time trusting a team

as much as I do a person that can't take a punch.

Like, I know, I'm not saying this is healthy.

I'm just being honest with everybody.

I like, it's part of what we love about this team though.

We've seen this throughout this team throughout the season and everything,

regardless of where they are in the standings playing like this,

playing with this.

I want to say a chip on their shoulder, but just there's unfinished business.

There's so much of this team from last year.

It's still looking at that.

And while they're playing game to game, they're not looking ahead.

I imagine that in their hearts and the back of their minds,

it's still there that they still have a goal to finish.

There's still unfinished business here.

No question.

We talk about it every day, every week, right?

It's just another step on a ladder.

You know, you check in the boxes off and we got four more to go to get to there.

And then we got to take care of business.

You know, but like you said, it's one game at a time.

Northwest is a very good team.

They're a tough team.

They've beaten us twice.

We've beaten them twice.

Yeah.

So there's a lot of homework to be done and make sure that we're prepared

to shut them down and do what we do.

So with that, with what you mentioned there about being kind of,

it would not kind of you guys are even on the season.

You're 500 on each other.

Going into that, I would think that one of the hardest things in sports to me is

beating a team consecutively.

When you play a team this much and the regular season,

then you meet them in the playoffs.

What do you bring to those games that can be any different than the previous four?

Well, you're really just trying to pick out things that you can take advantage of.

Right?

So it's just, and it's the film work.

It's a study that you're doing away from the ring.

Right?

And then you bring it to the ring.

And that's his X's and O's.

And we take it on the ice.

And we really do some walkthroughs.

But it's really about what do we do?

Right?

And we got to make sure we play our way, which is hard for us to physical.

Right?

So you got to be hard on pucks.

You got to win the battles, one-on-one battles all over the ring.

You got to do it fast.

Right?

And you got to make sure your body's banging somebody.

And making your presence felt out there.

So it's not so much, we're going to change our style.

Right?

They got to adapt to what we do because this is our home.

And we're going to dictate how this game is being played.

And that's the mentality that we have day and day out.

Listen, we're on a 14-game winning streak.

Yeah, it's nothing to sneeze at.

Right?

So we have beaten these guys the last two times in a row because we identify certain things.

And we made sure that we made the adjustments.

And that's the way we're practicing to make sure that we execute.

When it comes to this team, this team has been a great regular season team going on years now.

And especially since you've been here, there's a different thing that a different gear they hit in the playoffs.

And very excited about seeing where that goes.

But we also, as you said, we got to play these games on what's in front of us first.

When it comes to mapping these things out, when it comes to this week ahead and you're planning for Friday,

how much of it is stuff that you've geared your well?

This is what we've been doing or this is what I want to do.

And how much of it is feel gut?

Like, okay, this guy just seems hot in practice.

And I'm going to put him on a different line or any of this.

I'm trying to ask questions without asking too many details just in case who's listening out there

and how the coaches are anything.

But I do what I am curious.

No, there's no question. There's a lot of that.

A lot of that happens.

And you know, you want to do what we do.

Okay, this is what I want to go.

And then you get guys that are sick, guys get hurt.

And all of a sudden, now you've got to move some pieces around.

And you're right.

Some guys look like crap.

And some guys are fine.

And you're like, oh, you know what?

Maybe he's ready, right?

Maybe he's doing this and that.

So, yeah, there's a lot of it comes Friday, you know, the lineup.

Everybody's kind of waiting for the lineup to be posted because they don't know.

And you just got to go with that.

And that's why we tell them, listen, that's why we practice.

That determines who's in the lineup.

And once you're in it, you better stay in it.

Always appreciate the time coach.

We want to remind everybody that there is nothing like playoff hockey.

You got to catch up.

You don't have to take my word for it.

You don't have to take coaches word for it.

Show up, you'll see exactly what we're talking about.

There's a reason we love this sport so much.

And a big part of it is what's happening right now.

And it's in town.

It's right in your neighborhood, everybody.

You've five minutes away from this place.

Wherever you're listening to us in town here.

So, let's fill the rec center.

Let's show them what home ice advantage is.

A reminder to the north with its express.

You're going to come for the king, you best not miss.

Follow your kings and follow your boys and winters.

They build hockey up and down the river.

Riverkingshockey.com.

Be sure to follow them on social media.

Share their posts on your pages.

You just never know who might see it otherwise.

And coach, looking forward to talking again next week.

Have yourselves a great week in practice.

You guys enjoy yourselves no matter what have fun.

Enjoy, have a great time.

Say hi to the boys for us, okay?

We'll do, thank you.

Thank you again.

And riverkingshockey.com is where you want to go.

The riverkingshockey.com.

Take a time out, we'll be back with our rafters.

We'll be back talking baseball when we come back on playmakers.

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This is great, this is awesome.

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Big knit shout out to all of them.

More on that later.

This is our new theme music for when we bring our rafters in everybody.

We're very excited about rafter baseball right around the corner.

I want to let you guys introduce yourself so the audience can start getting familiar with your voices and everything.

Start with you.

Ladies first.

Jake, thank you.

That's you right.

That's how I was raised.

Exactly.

My name is Gwen Philippi.

I'm the sales manager and community relations manager for the rafters.

Thank you for being here.

I appreciate you.

And I'm Jake Adams, assistant GM for the rafters.

Can feel my father smacking me in the back of the head right now.

Jake, thanks so much for being here.

We're rafter fans out there.

Been following along with social media.

Jake, I want to start right there with a special day that we have coming up with some special jerseys you guys.

We revealed our new alternate identity.

More than anything.

We came together as a front office and wanted to pay tribute to one of these exports that wasn't really shine the spotlight on.

And potato farming in general.

And we talked about what's the best way to do that.

What's the best way to shine a light on the unsung heroes of potato farming.

And how Wisconsin's one of the biggest exporters in potatoes.

So we said, let's create an alternate identity around it.

The masher's name came to us because mashing the baseball.

Obviously, we're hoping a lot of homes runs, but mashing potatoes.

And we wanted to bring it together by calling ourselves the central Wisconsin masher's.

Because while Wisconsin Rapids is our home and most of our fan base is localized in Wisconsin Rapids.

It was fans from Clover, Point, Marshfield and the surrounding areas that we wanted to feel like this was for them as well.

It wasn't just a Wisconsin Rapids local thing. It's for the whole area.

I wanted to focus on that for a moment, actually, because I saw that.

And I thought the masher's the jerseys.

They're very cool. It's a great idea.

Anything that shouts out our ag industry.

In any way, it's I think on the jobs of all of us.

The media is that we are all in to promote our ag industry.

It's a big part of what we do around here.

So that's just great. Big tip of the baseball cap to you guys for that.

The essential Wisconsin thing really caught me.

I really liked that.

We really tried to encompass that here.

Obviously, we broadcast live from Wisconsin Rapids and all of our studios moved a bit.

We've always been right here in Rapids.

But anybody who's listened to us knows how much we covered Naku support all these surrounding areas and everything.

And our teams are supported by these surrounding areas.

So to call the team that, I really enjoy that.

Even for a weekend, for a game, whatever it might be, I thought it was a really nice touch.

And a really good, again, tip of the baseball cap to our communities, communities.

Not just this one right here in Rapids.

That we certainly appreciate.

And it's not, and that hurt doesn't hurt anybody to be able to kind of look at that and take that all in.

It's pretty cool.

It had to be, was that something that you guys worked on hard?

Or was that that came right away, that part?

I mean, we really wanted to focus on it being central Wisconsin.

Because, you know, every single day we say Wisconsin Rapids rafters.

And we're going out in the communities talking to businesses, talking to fans all over.

So we really, as soon as we thought about an alternate, I don't know, we wanted to include everyone.

Well, not for nothing.

I'm sure this isn't lost on the audience.

There's no team in the Northwoods league, no team in the UASPHL or any of these divisions around here that survive.

If the only people that go into these games are the people in that town.

Yeah, I mean, we've been lucky enough for this team to be located here.

But it could just as easily be in a surrounding town.

And hopefully they would be supported by these locals just as much.

It's fun to be able to do that.

The master's part, I don't want to put you guys on the spot, but off air or something.

I got to hear about the names that didn't make it.

I want to know about those sometimes.

Well, we'll get you the list that just didn't quite make the con.

Always curious about that, just as a creative.

I just enjoy that stuff.

When it comes to this day where this is the one that's been announced.

Are there other things in the works that you guys are working on right now that we haven't been able to announce yet?

I'm not being a journalist here trying to get it out of you, but are there other things in the works you guys are cooking up?

Yeah, we always appreciate the journalistic integrity.

We always like to push for trying to give you something.

So we finalized your promotion schedule.

We're going to be releasing it in full at the beginning of April.

But over the next couple of weeks, keep an eye on social media.

We're going to be teasing a couple of our bigger promotions.

We're bringing some back that people liked, some brand new ones that will draw a lot of interest.

So keep an eye out.

We're definitely going to be releasing it here soon.

I'm curious.

You know, once we get going here and we're getting closer and closer to it,

it'll be here before any of us know it.

Once the baseball season is going on, we're going to be talking about wins and losses

and so many of these things.

Guys coming up, guys going down or whatever it might be.

So I wanted to take a moment as you guys are new to this and new into these positions.

What are you excited about?

Just personally.

What are you looking forward to?

What is some things that you're really, really kind of like, oh, I can't wait for this day?

Or I can't wait for this to happen?

Or is there anything you're just excited about the season in general?

Maybe I'll start with you.

Yeah, especially being my first season in the Northwoods league.

It's a lot of firsts.

So I'm like looking forward to the interns arriving for a game, bark in the park for sure.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

But really just a lot of firsts for everything.

And I can't wait to take it all in and I know it's going to go by in the flash.

So just ready for baseball to be here.

Yeah, right on.

Jake, honestly, with this being my third Northwoods league season,

you kind of get into a repetition of what's happening when everyone arrives.

But this is such a new environment for me because it's my first year in Wisconsin Rapids.

But echoing what one said when the interns arrive,

we're already chatting with them a little bit.

They're coming from across the country and there's already excitement starting to roll through.

We shared with them a couple of promotions.

We shared the mashers one with them in advance because given a little bit of a shout out here,

our graphic design intern Ella actually created the logo for us.

We asked her for a little off season work and she said she'd love to do it.

So shout out to Ella for getting us a great logo.

But I think the most exciting thing I'm looking forward to is when we get our fans in through the gate for the first time on opening day.

It's never dawns on me.

It never is zeroed out that a fan coming in for the first time or the millionth time.

It's still that excitement you can see on their face that baseball seasons back,

especially in a town like Wisconsin Rapids where it's a great fan base that is excited.

And we're here in that every day.

So I'm excited to see fans back at Witterfield.

Absolutely.

I really feel like if there was a Wisconsin Rapids Tiddlywinks team,

this town would show up.

But we love sports and more than sports.

This area loves supporting their own, loves supporting their teams,

loves supporting just in supporting each other.

It's a very cool thing and we cannot wait.

May 26th can't get here fast enough.

As far as interns or volunteers or host families,

are we still looking for any of these guys?

Yeah, we're always looking for host families.

We're still kind of reaching out.

We have a couple more beds to fill because this is our biggest intern class.

And we're going to have a rotating wheel of players coming in and out during the course of the season.

We're always looking for a great family who's willing to open up their homes.

And just for a bedroom and they get to be a part of your life for the rest of their lives,

whether they go onto the MLB or they're working at a rental car service.

That's an experience that you get to live with for the rest of your life,

making a difference in this kid's life.

It's a pretty cool opportunity for these families out here to bring in one of these kids.

Have that connection, have that ability.

We've talked to our listeners a lot about that over the years

and how they still talk to these kids.

And they're still following their careers and everything.

It adds another layer to the game for so many of the community.

While also being able to do some good, really knowing that you're putting in,

you're really helping your community, you're helping your raptors,

your local teams, which helps your economy and all these other things about it.

It's a great part of that.

We don't get to talk too much about rosters.

But how is that developing?

How is that going?

Are we looking at a set roster yet?

Are we looking at still bringing in some kids?

Coach Ziggy's working really hard to build the roster

and give us a great championship worthy team here in Wisconsin Rapids.

We chatted with him today.

He's almost finalized the roster.

There's still a couple of slots, so we need to fill in.

But we're looking strong.

He changed his dynamic of what we're looking for in a player.

And it's not just the guy who goes out there and hits a million home runs.

It's that kid who's fighting for a spot.

It's the kids who are going to come in, work hard,

and be a good player while being a good role model in the community.

And that's what we're excited for.

We do have a couple of big lead guys, kids coming in,

Royce Clayton, his son, Royce Clayton, Jr. is coming in.

We're excited about that.

But I think in general, we are going to have a really big roster

when it comes to heart.

Because these kids are going to come in with grit and determination.

And the goal is to bring a trophy to Wisconsin Rapids again.

And Ziggy has said that from day one.

And he's still Texas.

We're bringing home a championship this year.

Yeah, I cannot wait.

I cannot wait to talk to Coach too.

And just to piggyback on what you're saying there.

And this is something I don't know if it's the universal feeling or not.

But growing, maybe it's growing up at a sports family,

two and a round athletes, or having that as my, the way my dad was and everything.

At this level, especially, all these kids are talented.

Every one of them can run, catch.

They're all incredibly good at what they do.

That motivation factor.

That drive.

What makes them what doesn't.

It's no different than when I'm talking to my students when it comes to acting or comedy or something.

The biggest difference between the people you see and the ones that you don't is determination.

It's drive.

If we're looking for that out of these kids and we're bringing in guys like that,

I feel really good about the season ahead.

Right.

I want hungry players.

I'll take that over anything else every time.

I couldn't agree with him more.

That's a really, that's a really cool thing for you to bring up.

I appreciate that.

Yeah, of course.

Anything else you guys wanted to touch on before we let you go and I'll visit you are?

I think that's it.

We're just excited and just make sure that you're watching.

We've got more giveaways coming with those tech service with Vazi and more of that promotion release coming out soon.

So just keep up today.

And keep listening right here everybody because these guys are going to be joining us all season long.

We're looking forward to talking more after baseball with y'all into players and coach and everybody else we can get on.

Absolutely.

Thanks for the time you too.

If people want to, they have follow up questions.

They'd like to reach you guys.

We're getting businesses out there listening or anything like that.

Is there a direct way to reach or should it just send them to the website?

You can send them to the website.

That's always a good way.

But if you want to reach this directly, you can email either of us.

You can reach me at AGM at raftersbaseball.com.

And I am PR as in public relations at raftersbaseball.com.

Get your tickets and get ready for a great season.

Everybody looking forward to talk with you guys again real soon.

Thank you guys.

Appreciate you.

We'll talk soon.

Thank you.

We'll be back with more playmakers right here at WFHR.

Welcome back everybody.

Playmakers here at WFHR.

Probably brought to you by Quattipus printing and family natural foods.

James here.

Solo to the end of the show.

But that's all right.

I got all of you to hang out with.

Gigantic.

I might need the rest of the show to thank all of our guests.

A big thank you to Ross Provost from Bernanates for joining us.

Coach Paul from the River Kings for being here.

And Jake and Gwen from the rafters.

And of course a special shout out to my partner in sports.

Mr. Randy Paul for being with us.

It's always nostalgic for Randy and I to get together and do this show.

It was a lot of fun.

A big, big way to start the week here.

We had on everybody.

It was a lot of fun.

But I want to hear from you guys.

I want to hear what your sports takes from the weekend are.

You want to talk a little badgers basketball.

That is cool.

I'll talk about that with you.

Certainly have the top 25 rankings coming out.

So that was interesting.

And a couple of other notes I wanted to get to too.

But before all that, I want to touch on our schedule.

You heard Randy talking a little bit about this.

Tomorrow night, 6.50 on our sister station.

105.5 W.Y.R.I.

Lincoln High School Boys hosting Appleton West.

Post season regional action continues.

Mike and Seth are going to have that one for you.

A shout out to them for covering the game.

We appreciate you.

Over here at WFHR at 705 tomorrow.

You will have Wisconsin hockey hour.

Be looking forward to hearing what Coach has to say for that one.

We'll be back on Friday with Playmakers.

Be here to talk about not only that Lincoln game,

but getting you ready for the games ahead this week.

And a little bit later at Wednesday.

We'll be actually your pre-game for Wisconsin men's basketball

taking on Minnesota.

Looking to get back in that wind column.

Getting another big 10 victory.

Get a belt up there with the Gofers.

Thursday, Greg Garcho at 605 right here at WFHR.

And then at 105.5 at 650.

Assumption girls basketball taking on Pachelli.

Post season sectionals.

Mike Randy.

Laura.

Going to cover that one for you from Adam's friendship.

Live from Adam's friendship.

A big shout out to Mike Randy and Laura for covering that.

And just being able to talk about that.

It's been so much fun with these lady royals.

It never gets old.

Them continuing on in the post season.

Congratulations to them and all of our local teams really.

And if I want to say win.

I'll be honest with you guys.

I want to say win the lady royals.

But if we'll go ahead and be honest.

If, because Pachelli's good.

I'm not taking Pachelli lightly.

But if win, or if you want to word it.

Assumption continues on.

We will have that game for you Saturday at 1250.

Assumption would be playing about 1250.

Randy.

Mike.

Don.

Going to be covering it for you.

I want to send a special shout out to Don Cheesebro.

And the great work he has always done here for years.

We don't get to hang out with Don as much.

But when we do it matters.

And there are a few people who are better running a board for a sports game than Don Cheesebro.

There are a few.

I was going to throw my hat in the ring.

And I still do if Don is unable to.

I would cover that game.

Hopefully.

But you're better off with Don.

Let's be honest.

The Don's great at it.