The Cowboys Say Goodbye, But The Packers Say Hello (Hour 1)

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says goodbye to Michael check that Micah Parsons that's a real quote by the way and Goody and Green Bay says hello and what can only be called the biggest Packers trade since Reggie White sports reporter Mike Clemens has latest from Lambo Bucky jumped around last night and kicked off its football season with a less than impressive win but more importantly will they be saying goodbye once again to their starting quarterback we will have

and update.

The GOP is out of sync, we'll discuss.

And in hour two, we'll say hello to our old friend and my former broadcasting partner, Kevin O'Connor, a Chicago native now at UW Milwaukee to discuss the great Lee Corso saying goodbye to College Game Day.

And what's worse, on this Friday, the 29th of August, being a Cowboys fan, or being a Bears fan today, can they both kiss their seasons?

Goodbye.

Welcome everybody to a special edition of the Town Hall Ball Show.

It is Friday, August 29th, 2025.

Glad to have you along.

Aaron Zommer is on the board.

It's a great day to be Wisconsinite and a particularly great day.

to be a Packers fan.

Busy, busy news and sports day.

We're gonna get right to it and go live to Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

You know him, you love him.

Nobody knows the Green Bay Packers beat better than our very own sports reporter, Mike Clemens, who joins us via the phone.

Mike.

Give us the latest on what could only be, I think in my opinion, characterized as the biggest Packers deal since Reggie White making Micah Parsons now the highest paid NFL player that is not a quarterback.

Thanks for joining us, Mike.

What's amazing about this, Todd, is even though it was in broad daylight, it was still pretty stealth.

Because where were you when this thing broke a little after four o'clock last night?

I was running errands.

I was to the grocery store actually when it broke and I couldn't believe it

Yeah, yeah

Yeah, you know, but did you see it on your phone?

Yeah, no, it popped up my phone.

Well, I mean, there was a certain sports reporter that gave me an inside line and I couldn't air it, but

that

was

me then.

Yeah,

it

was.

And I thought, wow, this will be this will be something that happens.

Then we got done with the show.

And shortly thereafter, my phone just started blowing up.

And I'm old enough, Mike, that I was going to school at UW-Platteville when Reggie White came to the Packers.

Our communications professor, Krista, or C. Ray Coel, was her name.

He was a devout Christian woman.

And when the news came, you know, over the wires at that time in 19, whatever, 93, 94, when Reggie White came, and she started saying, we were in class.

And she, and she started saying, oh, sweet Jesus, don't let this be true.

Oh, because she was from Philadelphia.

She was an Eagles fan.

So it's one of those things you remember for the rest of your life if you're a Packers fan.

Yeah, not you know one big difference is this is a huge trade the Packers gave away a lot for this thing to happen Reggie White was the Packers jumping on this new thing called free agency And they lured him to come here and I'll never forget Actory met with Ron Wolf and the new head coach, you know Mike Holmgren Then it's you know it's time for dinner was kind of late in the day and the only place left that they could go to was the Red Lobster, which is still here

down the street on Lombardi Avenue, you know?

I saw

you tweet that out.

I'm like, no

way.

They took a red and white to the red lobster.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Wouldn't it be cool if LaFleur and Goody took Micah Parsons to the red?

It's still standing down there.

That would be amazing.

It's not one of the 400 stores that closed, but it's significant.

Okay.

So Micah Parsons is this guy who's just taken over the coaches and their jaws drop when they watch the tape.

he's a pass rusher he's the best in the business he's been doing an offer three four years in a row as a matter of fact you know his averaging over a dozen uh... quarterback sex a year is only been matched by regi white some thirty years ago so you know micah goes to the cowboys in march he's on the fifth year of his rookie contract and says okay let's let's kick this up jerry jerry makes him an offer in march and then sometime later after that parsons says aspect a little bit more

Because he wants to be the highest paid player ever in the NFL to make that money outside of a quarterback.

And then this thing goes on, and then Jerry Jones likes to drag this stuff out.

There's a documentary on Netflix that proves that.

Do you remember the game when the Packers played the Cowboys?

in Texas at the old stadium.

It was the night when Terrell Owens poured the popcorn in his face mask.

Brett got hurt.

Aaron Rodgers came in and looked pretty sharp, right?

Filling in, but the Cowboys ended up winning.

So as timing would have it, I'm leaving the press box after the game.

Go down to the locker room and talk to the players and coaches.

And as the doors open, here comes Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones' son, and the rest of the Cowboys front office.

And we get on and the doors close.

And Jerry turns to Steven and those other guys go, now, now this is big, right?

I mean, this is, this is Cowboys dominate, you know, uh, but I mean, he's writing headlines.

He's writing headlines.

I've been around him two or three.

Remember, uh, Wade Phillips.

So the Cowboys came up here to Lambeau Field.

They lost the game the last minute.

It was a big disappointment.

And then Jerry makes himself available to the reporters outside the locker room in the hallway, just outside the visitor's locker room.

There's 30 or 40 people from Dallas that are there covering him.

Put the microphones in them and saying, you know, well, how disappointing is that?

Now your season's over.

You know, you're going to make changes.

And he all but says, yeah, I'm going to fire the guy, you know.

And it makes him sit, you know, a veteran like that who eventually went on and got a Super Bowl trophy as the defense coordinator for the Broncos.

So this is the way Jerry Jones is.

He's milking it.

But at some point, I guess this thing becomes, you know, irreconcilable differences.

And the Packers call him and they give up two first round picks.

And Kenny Clark, one of your team leaders, the defensive lineman that's going into his 10th season here.

when you're with brian guttickett i mean in february is latest february we asked him about would you ever make a big swing at something in in free agency he said you know and that's two draft picks and he keeps he's so he's conservative like ted tomsen like you know it it one player can't win a super bowl you know it you you can't have to build a team and so and i can't imagine giving away that many pics but then

It sounds like he changed his tune this week, right?

Yeah, we're talking, by the way, to our great sports reporter here at Civic Media, Mike Clemens, who follows the Packers beat like nobody else.

He joins us live via the phone from Lambeau Field.

And I know you were there at the presser this week on Wednesday, Mike, when Goody was asked about, you know, not specifically about a player, but what's his take on bull moves?

Here's what Goody said on that.

I think you got to, first of all, it's your team and how certainly every decision affects your football team.

Obviously, there's so many different factors in it, who the player is, medical, certainly cap-wise.

But yeah, I think you have to look at everything.

Any opportunity to help your football team, you have to look at and discuss as a group.

And we do that all the time.

I mean, it's almost daily, you know what I mean?

I think what someone might consider a bold move, someone else might not.

You know what I mean?

We signed a practice squad guy today.

I might consider that a bold move.

You know what I mean?

Somebody else might not.

But I think every opportunity that's out there to help your football team, we've always taken a look at, tried to see how it affects us right now, how does it affect us in the future, and make the best decision we can.

Sometimes we've been right, sometimes we've been wrong.

Sometimes we've taken risks that were really worked out for us.

Sometimes it didn't.

Sometimes we didn't take risks and we look back and we wish we would have.

And sometimes, as Ted used to say, God helps those that can't help themselves a little bit sometimes.

So sometimes the best deals you make are the ones you don't.

And so you just kind of, I think you weigh everything and you weigh what is in the moment.

That is a general manager for the Green Bay Packers, Brian Gudekunst on Wednesday.

We're talking about Mike Clemens, our sports reporter that was ahead of this groundbreaking trade that the Packers made yesterday for Michael Parsons from the Cowboys of Dallas.

And Mike Clemens, you were in that room.

And I mean, you're around Gudekunst for anybody, as much if not more than most reporters out there.

Did you sense that maybe this there was something going on?

No, because I know where his values come in terms of Ted Thompson and Ron Wolf before that.

So last night, you know, I thought that the story would be Mark Murphy inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame.

And so I had an appointment at four o'clock and as a small press conference we had with Mark before that he was going to go out there in front of 1,500 people playing $300 a plate for fundraiser and for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

So they're talking to him and, you know, he retired a month ago.

He retired a month ago after 17 years as CEO and president.

And during the presser, a guy standing back there by the cameras is looking at his phone and goes, uh, uh, Mark, uh, uh, any comment on the fact that the Packers are now traded for Micah Parsons from the Cowboys.

And he goes, uh, oh, what?

And then he starts to laugh.

He says, I don't know anything about that.

I, you know, I'm not going to cut on anything.

I said, that's probably AI, you know, you know,

like a fake account or something.

And he blows it off.

And then a couple of questions later, then the reporter from the Presquizet who covers the business and sports, Rich is very good at this.

And he trusts him.

He says, Mark, the Presquizet just confirmed.

Micah Parsons has been traded to the Packers.

And he said, what'd they get for him?

So I'm like,

This guy is stunned.

He has no idea.

He just ran the team for 17 years and he's out of the loop.

And to me, I'm thinking, is this what it's going to be like under Ed Policy, the new president?

That

was my follow-up question to you, Mike Clemens, is, in your sense of this, was this Ed Policy saying, I want to put my fingerprint on this right away?

Was this something that kind of had been in the works for Guna Coons?

Where did this come from?

Any sense?

I don't know yet.

We're going to talk to Goody at five o'clock today.

We're going to do it this afternoon.

And since you and I talked earlier today, they've kicked it up to five o'clock prime time.

It'll be carried live, right?

For that.

Here's one thing we know for sure.

Ed policy didn't get in the way.

Yeah, you want to give away the next year and the year after that's first round pick and a veteran leader like Kenny Clark.

Let's roll the dice, baby.

Let's go for it.

Well, in the couple of minutes we have left here, Mike Clemens.

I mean, nobody has a crystal ball, but most people are looking at this saying this is the piece they might have needed to truly make the Packers a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year.

Do you remember the day that we found out that the Packers came up second and Cleo Mack?

went to the Chicago Bears and all Chicago said, here we come, Super Bowl.

How'd that work out?

Not so hot.

Not so hot as it turned out.

But, but, you know, I'll say this, you know, I think Micah Parsons is coming here because he was embarrassed about 18 months ago when the Packers went down there and beat the heavily favored Cowboys in that playoff game, the wild card playoff.

I think it's 48, 32 or so.

And I think he was impressed by the other side.

By the way that they had schemed him, the plays that were running, the efficiency, the coaching, Jordan Love is a young quarterback, and now he's joining, you know, if you can't beat him, join him, kind of a thing.

And when you're talking about trying to get back the domination of the NFC North, after what the Lions have done, now the Vikings, and now they've added Ben Johnson to the Bears.

If you tell me that you got Xavier McKinney now in the back end with a secondary You got Edger and Cooper that speedy inside linebacker to stop the run and now your past rushes were Sean Gary and Micah Parsons Look out

It's gonna be a fun season Mike Clemens.

I appreciate your time.

You're a busy guy.

Thanks for joining us giving us the latest I know you'll continue to do that our sports supporting on the hour Mike.

Thank you so very much

appreciate you Todd always a

great show

thank

you all right appreciate you Mike Mike Clemens everybody our great sports reporter in Green Bay come on back Billy Edwards Jr the quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers is he saying goodbye we have new reporting from CBS after this don't go anywhere on the Civic Media Ready Network

We are live here at the World Headquarters of Civic Media in downtown Madison.

A little rain falling light rain here in downtown Zomers on the board.

He was there at the camp last night.

Zomers was Badgers Wisconsin Badgers kicking off the football season.

Lots of anticipation by some.

But boy, I watched the game.

I had it on on TV big 10 network and I had the sound down I was listening to LePain and Tauger on the Badger radio network on via the civic media app actually listening to WRCE last night on the app and and so I'll listen to the game there and watched it on TV a couple of takeaways for me a The positive side I thought that the Badgers looked

much more energetic, much more engaged, their body language, their, their attitude on the field and on the bench was much better than I saw it last year.

And that was a positive one.

Number two, even though you're playing a Mac conference opponent, still division one and the defense had a shutout, give them credit for that.

Even though the defense, the offense for, for Miami of Ohio was not great.

But the defense got a shutout.

Defense looked okay.

I thought that the offense, although they ran the ball more, was returned the full back position by all intent and purposes.

That's good.

But boy, the offense struggled and probably most concerning, starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.

went down Zomers quickly.

What was your take last night being there at the game?

Yeah, it was my first time at Camp Randall.

Very cool.

Um, and I'm glad I went.

But yeah, there was a, a hush fell over the stadium, uh, as we realized that he was on the ground and not getting up like, Oh no, this is bad.

Isn't it?

Um.

Thankfully, he was able to get up.

But yeah, it was it was a little bit rough to watch but we still did pull out a win It was closer than maybe expecting

closer than the experts predicted As the greatly Corso said So I like to say we're gonna talk more about the coach coach coach.

Coach Corso.

I'll get it out yet In hour number two here.

Yeah, I I said that Wisconsin would win 21 to 14 So they they got this shutout

but it was about what I thought they'd score on offense.

Here's new reporting.

This is the important part from CBS within the last hour.

Sources tell CBS Sports that the Wisconsin quarterback could return in time for that big game against Alabama in week three.

Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.

suffered a non-contact injury in the first half of the Badger season opener win over Miami of Ohio last night.

And Zommer's telling me what, watching it on TV,

He had handed off the ball and then was just kind of like finishing out the play might have Stumbled a little bit, but there was nobody by him when he has neither He had the brace on kind of gave out immediately went to the turf and grabbed it and the first thing you think of is oh my gosh an ACL or this you know and the Badgers about lost their starting quarterbacks in the last couple of years and you think oh my gosh not again but

As you said zombies he came back out of the tunnel and was in street clothes was walking around it was essentially served as a as a coach on the sideline for the for the rest of the night last night according to CBS the early word coming out of Madison per multiple sources is Edwards leg injury is not expected to be a long-term issue Full clarity is expected within the next 24 to 48 hours But there is optimism building around around the building that Edwards could return

for Wisconsin's high profile non-conference matchup with number eight Alabama on September 13th.

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickle did not have any updates on Edwards status last night, though he expressed optimism that he was able to return to the sidelines in the 17 to nothing win.

So again, I predicted a 21-14 Wisconsin victory, ended up being 17 to nothing.

Fickle said quote first things first starting off.

I don't have any answers on Billy Don't know a whole lot good to see though that he was back out there and able to be part of the game with our team things like that Hopefully there's a really good that was a really good sign that things are moving forward But we won't have any updates right now unquote Edwards was a high-profile offseason addition for the Badgers from Maryland He finished Thursday night's game six for 13 was 68 yards passing

Wisconsin inserted San Diego State transfer, Danny O'Neill, in Edwards Place.

O'Neill led Wisconsin on a pair of second half touchdown drives.

I thought O'Neill looked pretty good.

I mean, he was a starter, I believe, a true freshman starter at San Diego State last year and transferred to the Badgers.

Danny O'Neill and Billy Edwards Jr.

were in a battle.

to be the starting QB for Wisconsin and O'Neill, pardon me, Edwards won out.

But I, hey, look, I thought Daniel O'Neill did himself well last night.

Congratulations to the Badgers on their 17 to nothing win.

It really wasn't quite as big a win as that because like the last touchdown was like four minutes left.

Yeah.

Something like that.

The first half was just three points.

Three nothing.

Three, three, three to nothing Wisconsin was your.

was your halftime score.

And interesting that the Wisconsin Badgers last time they played, Miami of Ohio was 2015.

And the score halftime was 37 to nothing.

They went on to win like 56 or 58 to nothing in that game and gave guess who?

Paul Christ, his first win as head coach of the Badgers.

So when you look at what they did against obviously two completely different teams as far as personnel and coaching but boy I I mean, I I know people were harping at me yesterday that saying when you only said, Wisconsin's gonna get four wins this year I Yeah, I wish them all the best.

I want them to win a Cardinal white fan, but but I think it's gonna be tough

Like you said earlier, their energy did look good, so there is that.

That is promising, but the rest of it, a little not as strong as you might hope.

And I hear there's some news that will pass on when we're able to do it on the next game.

The Badgers home game here, coming up on the 6th of September.

Looking forward to that with great anticipation.

Come on back.

There is more goodbye news.

There are MAGA problems for the Republican Party.

The bad Bradley hangs up her robe in the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

And who's leaving the U.S.

Senate will tell you on the other side is the Todd Law Bowl show for a fronty on the civic media.

Ready Network.

show of the Civic Media Ready Network on an afternoon where a lot of people are saying bye-bye-bye.

It's Friday, August 29th, 2025 Zomers on the Board.

The Republican Party out of sync.

Unlike the singers of that song, in sync.

I love this song.

It's fun, it's goofy, it's upbeat.

Yeah.

It's campy.

It is campy.

Welcome back, everybody.

Glad to have you along on a busy, busy Friday.

The Friday before Labor Day weekend, if you're already on the road, do so carefully.

Some light rain coming down here at the World Headquarters in downtown Madison for Civic Media.

Glad to have you along on Friday.

A quick update before we do politics here.

Just talked about this right before the farm news.

Channel 3000, Channel 3 Kyle Jones here in Madison.

Just posting this, it appears that the Badgers dodged.

The worst of it last night, quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.

reportedly has a sprained knee now.

They did an MRI, it came back clean this morning, which means that it was not, not a tear of the ACL or MCL.

So they're listing it as a week to week situation with a knee sprain.

for Billy Edwards Jr.

That's certainly good news for him.

Good news for the Badgers.

So we shall see if he can make it back for next week against Middle Tennessee State here in Madison.

It's an afternoon game at three o'clock.

And then after that, the Badgers travel in game three to, as Keith Jackson used to say, Alabama.

Alabama.

That'll be quite a game.

There are games happening just up the street at the Wisconsin Capitol this afternoon as we turn our attention to politics.

The theme today, bye, bye, bye.

That is what conservative justice Rebecca Bradley is saying.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court, I believe JR Ross at West politics broke this earlier this morning.

This is a story by another great reporter, Scott Bauer.

of the Associated Press.

Bauer writes a conservative justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court said today she will not seek reelection, creating an open race for a seat on the court.

This controlled four to three by liberals.

Justice Rebecca Bradley's decision.

Let me step away for a second from the story.

I say, and it's our friend Matt Flynn, an attorney himself,

friend of the show here, Matt Flynn calls her the Bad Bradley because for a long time you had Rebecca Bradley, the conservative, the Bad Bradley, and then you had Anne Walsh Bradley from my hometown, Richland Center, the liberal, who is, we call her the Good Bradley.

So this is an Anne Walsh Bradley retired.

She spent a few months as the Chief Justice before she retired here earlier this year, in just about a month ago.

So this is the quote-unquote bad Bradley, Justice Rebecca Bradley, stepping down will not run for a second full term.

And Scott Bauer writes for the Associated Press, it comes after the conservative candidate for the highest court in the battleground state have lost each of the past two elections by double digit margins.

Both of those races broke national spending records and the liberal won in April despite

heavy spending by billionaire Elon Musk.

Liberal state Supreme Court candidates have won four of the past five races, resulting in them taking over the majority in 2023, breaking a 15 year run of conservative control.

Regardless of who wins in this coming April election, liberals will maintain their four to three court majority until at least 2028.

But if they can win next year the majority would increase to five to two The open race comes as several high profile issues could keyword could make their way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the coming months including abortion collective bargaining rights Congressional redistricting and election rules Chris Taylor

A state appeals court judge and former Democratic state lawmaker is the only announced candidate so far.

Bradley had said in April that she planned to run again, but ultimately changed her mind.

The quote from Bradley today in her statement says, quote, I will not seek reelection to the Wisconsin Supreme Court because I believe the best path for me to rebuild the conservative movement and fight for liberty is not.

As a minority member of the court unquote Bradley said her warning Her warnings rather about the court being controlled by quote-unquote judicial activists her words went unheeded and She goes on to say Bradley quote and Wisconsin is only seen is seeing the beginning of what is an alarming shift from thoughtful principal judicial service towards bitter partisanship personal attacks

and political gamesmanship that have no place on the court, unquote, stepping away from the story.

I don't know.

To me, it seems like someone who is a little testy on the fact that the only real statewide Republican that has done well in Wisconsin here recently is Donald Trump.

And of course, Trump will not be on the ballot in 2026.

Tony Evers, Sarah Rodriguez, Sarah Galuski, Josh Call, all statewide candidates, Tammy Baldwin, U.S.

Senator Tammy Baldwin, statewide candidate.

And now Rebecca Bradley says, I don't want any part of that.

It reminds me of the old Seinfeld episode.

There's one at the very end where Elaine and George Costano says,

dad, uh, Mr. Gustavo are getting into it.

And, and he says, and, and he says at the end, he goes, you want a piece of me?

And they, they start going at it.

This is the show ends.

And so Rebecca Bradley, she was no part of, uh, of a statewide election in this environment, apparently.

Now, Judge Taylor has raised over $1 million back to the AP story by Scott Bauer since getting into the race.

Her campaign manager, Ashley Franz, said in a statement after Bradley announced her decision, quote, that Bradley hasn't raised any money this year for a potential reelection campaign, quote, the incredible support for Judge Taylor shows how important this race is, unquote, the campaign manager said.

Bradley was appointed to the Supreme Court by then Governor Scott Walker in 2015 and won election to a full 10-year term in 2016.

Before joining the court Bradley had served three years as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge and a year as a state appeals court judge So we'll see people already already rumors.

So the only announced candidate right now on on either side is Judge Taylor who's a liberal?

So we'll see now there are all kinds of rumors people saying that they're they're trying You know, it's an open race, right?

So

Once and I know this is not great news for people who are like, I am so sick and tired of political ads.

Well, hold your hats in the hallelujahs because 2026 is going to be crazy because you're going to have a completely open governor's race.

No incumbent running because Tony Evers not running for a third term, a completely open Wisconsin State Supreme Court race.

The amount of money that's going to be flowing in the amount of ads.

The only winners here are Civic Media, and every other media company, because everybody's gonna be putting ads on.

I can't wait.

I'm not saying I'm, you know, hey, the money is nice,

right, for the company, but... Right, I just mean, I'm not looking forward to hearing and seeing all the ads.

But

these are going to be very important races.

Extremely important, and again...

This is why people are saying, look, I'm, I'm so upset and ticked off over Donald Trump and manga.

I feel like there's nothing I can do.

Well, 2026 is going to be your year to do something.

But you got to start laying the groundwork now.

And that's just not being angry in a fist and dropping F bombs.

That means doing the hard work as former president Barack Obama says, going out

Signing people up to vote Register to vote have a plan to turn people out to vote Making sure the truth is put out there between now and and remember the Supreme Court race is in April right So you have the Supreme Court race in April and then you're gonna have the midterm elections for Congress and the governor's race of the state Legislature in all the primaries in August and then the general election in November so enjoy

the clean airwaves now, i.e.

no political ads right now.

I guess they're that that goofball Bill Berry doesn't add.

But Rebecca Bradley is not the only MAGA Geo peer saying bye bye bye according to CNN.

Just to our southwest, Iowa Republican U.S.

Senator Joni Ernst has decided not to seek reelection to a third term.

According to people familiar with the decision and his poise to make an announcement this week Ernst 55 Now look at I look at her picture.

I think she's 55.

I'm 55.

Do I look that old?

I Probably do It's funny as you by the way, this has nothing to do with anything other than the fact I talked about it yesterday the show And I'm very happy about this.

I went and got my annual physical

this morning, I can report to you the listing audience fit as a fiddle.

My blood pressure was perfect.

My cholesterol is fine.

No need for any sorts of medications.

I've lost a couple of pounds, literally a couple.

So I got to keep eating better, a little more exercise, but my hair

is going, but I can't do anything about that.

Also, you'll be glad to know I just looked up an up-to-date picture of Joni Ernst.

You do not look that old.

Oh, thank you.

I appreciate that.

It's a hard job of the Senate.

You age.

You really do.

By having all those staff people and everything you have to do is not really that much.

Well, I guess the hardest part about being a member of Congress, in my opinion, having had work for one, is the travel.

That's your travel back and forth, assuming that you live in your home state.

and traveling back and forth.

Well, I

mean, Joni Ernst probably doesn't care about looking old, just like she, you know, says, we're all going to die someday.

Yes, yes, this thing is ours.

This is the person, this is the woman who was brought up for COVID, right?

Somebody was bringing up COVID vaccine.

I

think it was getting rid of Medicare.

Like, this is

getting rid of Medicare.

This is

going to kill people.

And she's like, you're all going to die anyway.

Right.

Well, they're all going to die anyway.

And doubled down on it.

I guess she, I guess the polling, the polling came back and said, Senator.

That's an unpopular opinion Earns 55 has been wrestling with the decision for months but began telling friends in recent days her retirement creates an open Senate seat in Iowa My grandparents my paternal grandparents used to call it Iowa representative Ashley Hinson

Making plans to jump into the race one GOP GOP officials said national Republicans Anticipating Ernst retirement have long said they believe hints.

It would be a strong candidate a crowded field of Democrats is already running the party's primary field includes state rep Josh Turrick He oh, I didn't know that a Josh Turrick is a para Olympian wheelchair basketball player.

How about that state senator Zach walls?

Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Nathan Sage and Des Moines School Board Chair, Jackie Norris.

CBS first reported Ernst's decision.

It's hard to say Ernst's.

Ernst's.

Ernst's.

Yeah, decision.

Ernst has come under fire.

Here we go.

There we are.

See, Zabros was the head of the National News.

Come under fire since responding, quote, we are all going to die, unquote.

to a constituent in a town hall meeting who raised concerns about Medicaid cuts in Trump's policy mega bill.

What do you think about these Republicans, these Magans saying bye-bye-bye to politics?

855-752-4842, 855-752-4842.

We'll say hello right after this.

Don't say goodbye on the Civic Media radio network.

Well, come back to

the title of all show on the Civic Media Incinct Network eight minutes before the hour of three o'clock.

Gone, right?

That's the song.

That's the one gone by in sync.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, Maga Republican, gone.

Although the song is

about missing the person who's gone.

So maybe it's not entirely.

Yeah,

well, I

like the word even

though.

Not gone, gone yet.

Just now, she will not seek reelection.

Although as she is so keen to remind us, she will be gone, gone eventually as well of us as

we

all will.

Johnny Ernst not ready for election next year for Republicans and Iowa critical seat because the thinking in 2026 is that Democrats have a great chance to pick up the House of Representatives.

It's a less than sure bet that Democrats could get the US Senate, but with Ernst taking a powder.

And saying she's not that's a big big open seat and Democrats have some good cannons I follow this stuff on on the socials and follow way too much of it to be honest, but I try to I try to sacrifice my mental health for you the friendly civic media listener I Spend eight hours a day and give myself a rash Watching the news so you don't have to

this did happen.

This is a fact.

I've seen it

Well, it was not.

No, it was in a place that is acceptable.

It was on

my torso.

Yes, it was an acceptable place to show.

But if you watch Missouri, I think, and also there's a guy in Maine.

Now, these are our people running as Democrats who are veterans, military veterans who are running on popular themes and.

very different than some of your stereotypical progressive lefty candidates.

And there are some people in the Democratic Party who get it, that if you want to win these elections in red states or purple states, you have to connect with the people you're trying to ask the votes from.

And I think some of these candidates in Iowa that have already announced on the Democratic side for a U.S.

Senate understand that.

Like I say Democrats have a great candidate a guy in Missouri can't think this name and also a guy in Maine And they put out some great ads already So it and if you look at the trends right now Our friend Trigby Olson the Lincoln project does a lot of this at the Lincoln Institute for democracy has ongoing focus now focus group is different than polling

polling is they choose people randomly either they call them or they text them or whatever and and they take their temperature on different issues.

A focus group can either be a one-off or in Trigny's case at Lincoln Institute for Democracy they have the same people in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, I believe, and Wisconsin.

and they keep bringing these same people back over the course of several months or years, and they ask them sometimes the same questions, sometimes new questions, so it gets a temperature of where people are at these states.

These critical, important states, and of course, nothing more critical when it comes to politics than Wisconsin.

And what you're seeing is the numbers of the general public are not on the side of Republicans and MAGA.

In fact, either just yesterday or this morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican, was on CNN.

And this was really smart of CNN.

They showed Speaker Johnson polling numbers from Fox News.

Now, you've heard me say on this program before, certainly don't agree with Fox News, it is entertainment, but for whatever reason, Roger Ailes, yeah, Roger, had decided, no, Rupert Murdoch, sorry, Rupert Murdoch.

has decided not to skew the polling and election parts of Fox News.

So Fox News polls to date have been widely regarded as very accurate.

And so CNN put Speaker Johnson on the spot, showing him Fox News numbers, says the question, do you approve or disapprove of the following elements of the new budget legislation?

Trump's bill, no tax on tips, 70% approve.

More defense funds 61% of approved and EV tax credit.

They're underwater on that Only 48% approved 50% disapprove and win-solder initiatives 58% of the people according to Fox News disapprove reduce snap benefits 65% of people according to Fox News disapprove of that and according to Fox News in the Trump bill

$5 trillion increase to the national debt.

74% of Americans disapprove of that, according to Fox News.

And so they asked Speaker Johnson about this CNN and he stumbled his way around it, gave a non-answer.

But my point is that if Democrats and progressives stick to particularly financial things like this on the debt.

To snap benefits which are cutting help to the most needy friends neighbors and family if they stick to things like Medicare and Medicaid things are going to impact every Wisconsinite every American eventually They can win but they can't get Detoured by the divisive social issues because that will that will kill them politically Democrats, so I'm glad to see that

these candidates in Iowa, Democrats, many of them on the right track in Missouri and in Maine.

And that is despite some lackluster leadership from the national Democrats, my least favorite Martin, Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic Committee.

So let's hope that let's hope there's a great opportunity in in Wisconsin to have a thoughtful justice in this open seat after Rebecca Bradley announced she will not run next year.

And it's gonna be an interesting race for governor as well in the state of Wisconsin, another open seat.

Come on back, a little news sports news and weather update for you.

And then we're gonna come back with our old friend, my former broadcasting colleague, Kevin O'Connor.

Talk a little bit of what's worse for you if you're a Cowboys fan or a Bears fan today.

And also, gonna talk about the departure of Lee Corso.

From College Game Day, hour two is straight ahead on the Civic Media Radio Network.

From the Civic Media World Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, it's the Todd Alba show.

And now, pursuing truth wherever it may lead, here's your host, Todd Alba.

Across Wisconsin on the Civic Media Radio Network.

and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Todd Alba, along with Mr. Aaron Zommers, our producer and engineer on the board at six minutes past the hour of three o'clock.

Welcome into hour number two of the big program on this TGIF edition.

It is Friday, August 29th, 2025.

It is a great day to be Wisconsinite.

Welcome everybody to the World Headquarters in a rainy, wet, moist...

Downtown Madison here.

I didn't know we're supposed to get this much rain today is ours,

but no, it's pretty rainy actually That's

right there.

That's your fork.

That's that you can't get a better more detailed Current event than that.

It's rainy.

Yeah, it's

pretty rainy outside

when I look out there.

It looks wet The rain supposed to pass by today the rest of your Labor Day weekend looks very nice

In the 70s, mid 70s, then up to maybe the mid 70s, touching near 80 in some parts of the state on Labor Day proper.

And then the bottom's going to drop out by Thursday here in Madison, expecting over only a high of 58.

58

next Thursday.

to continue my quality forecast.

That's a lot lower.

It's

a lot lower, yes.

So enjoy Lamparday Weekend, everybody.

If you're already on the road, drive carefully as they say.

Pack your patience.

Nobody wants to be a jerk out there on the interstates.

Be safe out there, or somebody could get hurt.

Enjoying this this hour.

You know him.

You love him.

My former broadcast partner at UW-Platteville, now with the great marketing department in charge of branding at UW-Milwaukee.

But here on his own volition, he's on the engine reserve list, but still, still he's taking the time to join us from Milwaukee via phone.

Here he is, Kevin O'Connor.

How are you, Kevin?

I'm doing all right.

Good afternoon, sir.

Your weather forecast sounds like the two guys still left at the National Weather Service.

That's right.

After all the cuts, that's all they just look out and say.

Rainy and lower.

Gotcha.

Perfect.

There's your complicated forecast.

Well, Kevin, you are so kind as to join us when we are down at UW Milwaukee, although you're out of town, but you called in.

And here now, I don't want to go into too much detail, but you're recuperating, and here you join us via phone, and we appreciate that.

Absolutely happy to be here.

Yes.

Now I fractured my wrist earlier in the week in a let's just let's just say an accident And we'll we'll we'll leave it there be be patient on the roadways.

That's what I would suggest all those drivers I would echo that but here we are and you will you will boost my mood and spirit as I chitchat away I can talk a lot better than I can type

right now.

That's true

I'm sure my I used to work with a guy that he literally had a brother that only had one arm.

He lost one in an accident.

And he used to go around the office and say, I'm busier than a one arm paper hanger.

You

know, you can't say that

anymore.

But

at the time I am not going to say that.

Correct.

Anyway, it's great to have Kevin with us because big day, Kevin, in.

in sports.

We had a sports reporter Mike Clemens here on the first hour.

Micah Parsons is now a Green Bay Packer and is the highest non quarterback in the NFL now surpassing Wisconsin's own TJ Watt with the Steelers who was

Until I've apparently the deal was signed a few hours ago in Green Bay Kevin you grew up in Chicago.

You're you're a Bears fan as a Bears fan But lives in Wisconsin just thoughts overall on the on this deal

I Mean here's what I'd say right like a few things kind of processing it and you know when you heard

in the news, oh, that, you know, him, Jerry Jones, arguing, might get traded, might get traded, the Packers, all that.

I think I would put myself in the same category as it seems, like many media people sort of like dismissing it, right?

As like negotiation, whatever.

And when the news actually comes, my honest first thought is, that's insane for Dallas.

What are they doing?

And how could the Packers have said no?

Like that if they had the opportunity,

to get a player like this who you know you and I we're we're not sitting here breaking down film but let's take let's take what people say as gospel right one of the best just current defensive players defensive linemen in the NFL like you'd be crazy to not roll the dice and you have people now saying well that takes you from well we thought you might be a top 10 NFL team to like yep let's really talk about them as a team

that could be in the mix for the Super Bowl, it seems like a no-brainer.

My Bears thought, or first of all, as Caleb Williams is probably crying someplace, knowing that this trade has occurred.

He was doing that anyway.

That I thought of.

It's certainly possible.

And then the second thought, though, is if I then put from a Dallas standpoint, if I would put myself in the Bears' shoes, if they had, if they were the team with Micah Parsons,

and their owner got in an argument with him and they decided not to sign him and then they traded him to a team in the same conference that I'm going to play in what like the four of the season or something I would be calling for everyone to be fired right so then that I don't feel that way about the Cowboys I don't care what they do but that would be my other reaction is like this it's just it seems insane and I don't uh for a minute for a city that lost Luca D'Andre it's not that long ago and can't get their arms around that this

feels remarkably similar.

Well, in your point, Kev, I was talking to my good friend Alex of a Dallas native and went to school here in Wisconsin.

He's back there.

He's a lovely wife, a new parent.

Shout out to Alex.

He listens in once in a while.

Look, he's a Dallas boy through and through.

And he said, I'm just done with this.

Like he goes, I mean, he goes, thank God, we got the stars because A, I can at least afford seats next to the glass for the stars.

I can't afford decent seats at Jerry World.

And then after losing Luca to Los Angeles, he's just sick about the Mavs.

So yeah, I mean, my heart goes out to the Dallas fans because again, Kevin, you you mentioned this.

From all accounts, this became not professional, but personal.

And it seems that Jerry Jones's eagle got in the way that he refused to deal with Micah Parsons agent and said, I'm doing this mono a mono or it ain't gonna happen.

And the agent and Parsons said, well, let's see what's going on.

And correct me if I'm wrong, Kev, but I believe that Micah Parsons and Jordan Love share the same agent.

I

do believe that's correct and I think you when you say it became personal like that is always the problem right like that and Let's face it people that have more money than you or I can literally afford to have it get personal sometimes I guess like what would assume Jerry Jones didn't make all this money by always making it personal because that doesn't seem like sound business but you know the value of the Cowboys didn't go down because he got in a fight

with Micah Parsons, right?

If you want to pass it on to his kid, whatever else.

But the reality is, I would assume there's, we can safely assume plenty of bad discussions go on between general managers in sports and agents in sports.

Plenty of good ones too, but plenty of bad ones, plenty of time where you hang up that phone and you would like to use every name in the book.

And, you know, you can't do that.

Like, does everyone think that everyone gets along with Rich Paul and to sign LeBron James, right?

Like, you go through, you know, there's all kinds of stuff like that.

You've got to put it aside.

And I just, I mean, I truly, I can't get my arms around it.

And that turning personal seems extra extreme in this case, using that Luca comparison because of the same city.

Like some of the after stories make it sound like they didn't get it.

The Mavericks didn't get along real well with his people.

and all of that but like not to this extent where besides you know some silly oh we weren't very good at stopping the run answer that Jerry Jones apparently

gave yesterday or

whatever right there doesn't seems to be anything substantive and even again using that comparison of of Luca like like it or not they were like I don't we don't think he keeps himself in good enough shape to give him this kind of money I've not heard anyone say anything about Michael Parsons like that either right like I don't

I don't think anyone's like, whoa, I don't think he's worth the money.

Again, I've not heard anyone with football acumen make that

suggestion.

Call it I'm the director of trademark licensing.

There's so much more.

I love that I love that director of trademark licensing

for University of Wisconsin Milwaukee my former broadcast partner sports director at WSUP back in the old UW-Platteville Kevin O'Connor about this big May I mean you're talking about this Kevin in the first in the first hour We were at Platteville going to school together when the Reggie White thing happened and our old broadcast professor C Ray Coel a huge Phillies fan or a Phil a huge Eagles

fan from Philadelphia was going around a campus going, oh, sweet Jesus, say it's not true.

Oh, that's all she did because she was a huge Reggie White fan.

And nobody thought Kevin right at the time that the Packers would ever get Reggie White.

And here we are all these years later talking about another earth shaking trade in the end.

Well, in this case, it was a trade back then it was acquisition.

Right.

And obviously then.

take ourselves back, us oldies, because that is, I mean, that's absolutely, that is the first thing I thought of.

And the shock there as much as anything was in that era of the NFL, no one would have thought a superstar would choose Green Bay.

That era is long gone, right?

It is not, I mean, players only have, in this case, Micah Parsons still was, it seemingly probably stuck going wherever.

the Cowboys wanted to trade him and he just wants the new contract.

So who knows whether Green Bay is number one on his list or 10, but like, I don't imagine he has any misgivings about going to Green Bay and that part of the shock, you know, isn't it?

But there's no question.

Like, think of what a future altering move that was and how regretful, I realize now they've won subsequently, but how regretful to have let him get away.

on that other end of things in that Reggie White situation it was when he did what he did with the Packers and if you told me this turned out similarly I wouldn't be like oh no you're crazy no chance like maybe it won't but it's not ridiculous to think that it could turn out that same way.

Jerry Jones continued to make it personal for the Cowboys last night after the deal was announced with the Packers letting Micah Parsons go to Green Bay.

I believe his son was sitting next to him and you know that Jerry Jones knows the guy's name is Micah.

But he kept calling him Michael.

Here's a cut from the Jerry Jones Cowboys presser last night after Parsons was announced to go to Green

Bay.

He was talking to Michael Parsons the whole time.

We've discovered the problem.

He was talking to the wrong

person.

Wrong guy.

I gotta tell you, I just I've just had about enough of confused people talking out loud all the time, like in general, you know, like.

Just about enough, and Jerry Jones is kind of in

that

category, I think, at this point.

All right, let's open this up before we have to run here.

Let's open up.

Time once again for What's Worse.

Let's

go.

Time once again for What's Worse.

Nothing to give away, no prize, what are you involved with?

It is your chance to have your voice heard on all 10 news talk stations, sports stations across the Civic Media radio network.

Our category, as Mike Lucas is fond of saying, timely, timely indeed.

The category today for What's Worse, What's Worse?

Being a Cowboys fan or being a Bears fan?

Being a Cowboys fan or being a Bears fan 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 or you can text us on the Civic Media app Download it on your iPhone or Android device simply type in Civic CIVIC Media it'll pop up takes less than a minute to download it's free It's what Gail King at CBS calls a deal the Civic Media app Well, Kev we think she would if she knew about it

That's the... She calls the CBS App a deal.

I think she'd say the same thing about us.

We'll see.

Welcome back.

We'll ask Kevin O'Connor, a lifelong Bears fan.

What's worse, today being a Cowboys fan or being a Bears fan after the Micah Parsons trade, your phone calls as well.

And Lee Corso hangs it up on College Game Day.

Don't go anywhere.

It's the All Ball Show across Wisconsin on the Civic Media.

Ready to work.

you

you

has been coming to your city on ESPN's college game day and tomorrow will be his final headgear pick.

I'm going to talk about that in just a little bit.

Welcome back to the title ball show on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Twenty three now past the hour of three o'clock on this Friday, August 29th.

My former broadcast partner down in Platteville and now the marketing director extraordinaire of media branding.

He is the king of Milwaukee media.

Kevin O'Connor joins us via phone.

Always great to have Kevin along for the ride.

And what's worse, the category today was worse after the big trade from the Cowboys to the Packers, Micah Parsons.

Now the highest paid NFL player who is not a quarterback.

What's worse today being a Cowboys fan or being a Bears fan 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 let's go to Sarah in Madison listening on WM DX Sarah being a Cowboys fan or being a Bears fan.

What's worse?

Cowboys

because Texas That's it just Texas

All right.

Thanks, Sarah.

I appreciate you.

Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Thanks for calling in.

Kev, you're a Bears fan.

What's worse today, being a Cowboys fan or being a Bears fan?

I mean, I got to really say, as much as the arrival of Micah Parsons is concerning, if you're a Bears fan, I really got to say, I think it's worse being a Cowboys fan right now.

I just, I don't know that there's all, there's not a lot of light at the end of that tunnel message.

Uh, I think you're probably the bear, the bear, the bears got run over by that train 20 years ago and we've already given up on that.

I have hope.

So I, I think the wound is newer if you're a cowboy.

I think you're going to have a lot of company on that.

Mark in prayer to sack texting insane being a Cowboys fan is worse.

Jerry Jones is lower on the evolutionary ladder than pond scum.

Well, tell us how you really think, Mark.

Jim in Brookfield, listening in the WAU case, as I'm sure most Packer fans would say being a Bears fan is worse.

However, since Jerry Jones took over the Cowboys, I'd say being a Cowboys fan is worse.

Jones can't even get the name right of the star player he just lost, Jim.

in Brookfield.

Brett, listening to beautiful Brown Deers, says, as a lifelong Cowboys fan, nothing's worse than being a Bears fan.

Can't live in 1986 forever.

Wow.

John and Wes Ben said much the same thing.

Probably a Bears fan because they're still living in 85.

Wow.

Joel, listening to beautiful Rothschild, says being a Bears fan is worse, worse.

Steve and Milwaukee Cowboys, especially because of Jerry Jones.

so I don't know Kevin I I I agree I I just think that because my friend Alex brought this up but and you know I mean you live you live most your life now in Wisconsin the uniqueness of having the Green Bay Packers not having you know back back when Kevin and I were we used to make remember for those of you who are Kevin and I age ish

Marge, I used to call her Marge, she ought to be shot.

The owner of the Cincinnati Reds, right, Kev?

Cincinnati Reds, yeah.

Absolutely.

I mean, that was a terrible owner.

And now you got, now you got Jerry Jones.

And, and it's just nice to have a team like the Packers that can never be sold, can never be moved.

And, you know, not obviously the quote unquote owners don't really own the team.

But I think it's just something refreshing about that, Kevin.

I mean, that does remain, right?

It's so interesting as the world of sports has evolved.

It's such an anomaly and probably the gap between how that manifests itself with the Packers and how it does with so many owners, right?

The mega, mega, mega, million billionaire owners, right?

It's not just, oh, rich people own sports teams.

Like there is no comparison to the way the Packers are.

owned and operated quote-unquote to the way the Dallas Cowboys are owned and operated.

They're just like they're running completely different businesses, even though we know for sure they are

not.

We will do some more.

What's worse, I know Kevin has to run here at the bottom of the hour because he has to put his arm up.

He has professional nurses that come in.

He's going to be fed grapes by people down there today.

Kevin, you and I used to cover Platteville sports, but whenever we were on the road and people hampton in the hotel of Kevin and I's choice where we're on the road, we'd often tune in College Game Day to watch what's happening in D1.

We were D3.

Your thoughts on Lee Corso's last headgear pick tomorrow on College Game Day?

Yeah, boy, I mean, you know, you when you brought that up as something we could chitchat about just like it does speaking of living in the 1980s, right?

But but but when you think about what happened in that time when it came to what ESPN meant to all of us as both sports fans and in yours eyes cases aspiring broadcasters, right, the concept of

this shoulder programming, the concept of bringing entertainment to sports.

Again, you and I liking the sports radio format that turned just arguing about sports into a more entertainment form.

And I think what I just think about the most with Lee Corso along with all of those things is, you know, one thing in one of my previous roles at UW Milwaukee doing communications for athletics and encountering a lot of

former coaches who are now analysts right doing TV broadcasts and stuff and there were some that were pretty good at it and a lot of them that really weren't very good at it and a few that put in the time and a lot that were just waiting for the next coaching job and somewhere very early it seems and based on now all the accounts right

Lee

Corso figured out early on you know I could be pretty good at this broadcasting thing and he really put himself into that and I mean what a remarkable decision by him instead of trying to go back and like

coach a few more years someplace.

He's fully put himself in both the analyst slash entertainer role and look where it got him and look how many imitators both shows and people there are now of him and the basketball equivalent college basketball equivalent and dig bite

out.

100% agree Keva.

He nailed it.

He told I think it was somebody on the game day crew once.

It's entertainment, sweetheart.

Lee Corso.

Kevin O'Connor, a great entertainer, great broadcaster, great friend.

Thanks, Kevin.

Feel better.

Talk to you soon.

Come on back.

We'll wrap up the show after this on the Civic Media Ready Network.

The field time to start the show This is our mall

of the Civic Media Radio Network now 35 minutes past the hour of three o'clock on Friday, August 29, 2025.

Little Kenny Chesney for you.

A song you're not gonna hear that often on the radio was never released as a single that I know of.

About the only place you can really hear it is either online or if you are a serious XM subscriber as I am on Chesney's No Shoes Radio channel.

on Sirius XM.

There's a song called This Is Our Moment and it was supposed to be the theme song for Saturday Night Football on ESPN when Brent Musburger was the call by the play-by-play guy along with Kirk Herb Street.

It was, uh, so Kenny Chesney was having a drink or a beer or meal, something like that with Brent Musburger and Kerr Kerr Street one night.

And they said, you know, we don't really have a song like, you know, it used to be, uh, who was it?

Hank Williams, Jr.

I think did the, did the Monday night football song for, you know, forever.

And so this was supposed to be that kind of a song, a, a, a signature piece.

that would be played every Saturday night on ESPN before the main game.

And so Brent Mossberger and Kenny Chesney and Kirk Kirk Street started writing stuff down on a napkin, which eventually became that song.

I believe Brett James also helped end up helping write some of the final lyrics to that.

The great buddy Cannon was the co-producer, but as these things go,

Once it got to ESPN and ABC and maybe Disney, it just never happened.

I

don't know why, but it just never happened.

Yeah, you never know.

When there's that much money involved, the people who make the decisions don't always know what will actually resonate with people.

Sometimes they do, sometimes...

They make the right call, but sometimes stuff like this falls to the

wayside.

It's a cool song.

I think I think it would have been still would be a cool song to hear every every Saturday night.

If you are a consumer of college football as I have been for a number of years, a many thanks, by the way, to my former broadcast partner, my friend, Kevin O'Connor for coming on the show today, even when he's feeling a little under the weather.

Get well soon, Kev.

So back in the day, back in the early nineties, Kevin and I covered Pioneer Sports when Bo Ryan was down there.

Kevin was the play-by-play.

I was the color analyst, as they say.

We used to, the motto for pioneer sports at the time was, one of these guys knows college sports like the back of his hand.

We just hope the other guy can find the stadium in time.

I was not the guy who knew it like the back of my hand.

Kevin's a pro's pro.

And we would travel around to Eau Claire and Superior and Whitewater, La Crosse and River Falls and Oshkosh.

And do college football games?

Well, we were on the road.

You know, usually our games were a little bit later in the morning, sometimes afternoon.

And we'd get up and end with the hotel and we'd put on, and Kevin and I were also roommates with a couple other guys in Plattville.

And we'd watch College Game Day, a staple for all these years.

And the guy you'd always want to wait and see who held the show together was Lee Corso.

Lee Corso the legendary ESPN broadcaster and former coach who has entertained fans forget this 38 college football seasons will make his final headgear pick on college game day tomorrow in week one of the 2025 college football season at the Ohio State Stadium as they take on Ohio State I believe number three taking on number one the Texas Longhorns in Columbus

ESPN will also present special programming, celebrating Corso tomorrow as well.

Corso, who turned 90 in August, has been a part of college football's premier pregame show since it debuted in 1987.

His very first headgear pick was October 5th of 1996, when he donned Ohio State's Brutus Buckeye mascot head in Columbus, Ohio.

Corso's weekly end of the show pick during Game Day's Saturday selections has become a college football tradition, surprising and delighting fans for nearly three decades.

Entering his final broadcast in August, Corso has made 430 headgear picks of all time, including the Buckeyes, a record 45 times.

So what happened to the show?

And at the end they go around the table and pick, you know, they have whatever it is, 10, 12 games for the day.

And the final game is the big one that they're at, wherever they're doing the show from.

And then Corso puts on the headgear.

They've done the show here in Madison several times, and normally he's always picked Bucky.

Maybe every time the show originated here from Madison.

But as Kevin said in the last segment course.

Oh, of course was a coach I believe an army and then at our Air Force and then at Indiana so a big ten guy and Just figured out that hey, I can parlay this into into broadcasting and he always knew his lane now he was touched by a stroke two or three years ago and You know cut back his role a little bit harder for him to talk, but he and Kirk Kirk Street

had become really, really close friends.

And when Herb Street was starting out as a former player from Ohio State and Corso had been on the air for a while, he really mentored Herb Street.

And now that Corso has had health problems later in his career, it's become Herb Street who's really watched out for and helped Corso.

And it's a really touching friendship and one of the great parts about broadcasting, in my opinion.

What are your remembrances?

I mean, he's still living that and that's the other cool thing.

He has a he's stepping down at 90 Maybe should have stepped down a couple years ago, but you know what?

He deserved that he earned that he earned that right to call his shot And I'm just glad the ESPN is doing this while Corso is still living So what are your favorite?

Remembrances of Lee Corso on college game day as he gets to make gets ready to make his final headgear pick

tomorrow.

855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

Let's go to Dick, listening in Madison.

Dick, thanks for calling.

What's your, what's your remembrances of coach?

I just loved him.

I

mean, you know, you had to.

He was a lot of fun and quite frankly, it was a lot less stressful to go that lane that he picked and get him back into coaching.

Yeah.

I wonder what his record was in picks.

I don't know.

I'll see if I can find it while you're talking.

Go ahead.

I'll bet you anything he'd laugh at this.

Right.

Is it me or did he just start looking more and more like the cowardly lion as he got older?

That's pretty good.

That's pretty good.

I like that a

lot.

Maybe he's going to go and make it the 86 years later.

They're going to make a sequel of The Wizard of Oz or something.

I don't know.

And then real quickly, you got to pass something on it from a sad aspect.

And Patrick, I didn't know this.

Yeah,

he

did.

Yeah, one of the great basketball players of all

time.

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

That was before the three point shot right out loud.

No, really great expats or everything.

I know a great human being as well.

Oh, and played in high school with Fred Brown, who, you know, went on to play for the SuperSonics for a long time.

He was something.

So here you go.

Thanks for bringing that up, Dick.

Here you go, by the way, before you go.

According to ESPN, 430 mascot headgear selections of all time.

He is 286 and 144, a 665 win percent on the picks.

A lot better than his coaching.

Right?

Corso has done the headgear of 69 different teams all time.

Most all-time selections, Ohio State with 45.

Alabama 38, LSU our very own Jacqueline's team, LSU 25 times, Florida 22 and Oregon 21.

So there you go.

How about that?

There.

Well, thanks for that.

I really wanted to know his percentage.

That's pretty cool.

Yeah, pretty, pretty cool.

Thanks for calling, Dick.

Appreciate your call as always.

855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

What's your, and he's, again, he's not dead.

He's just retiring.

Tomorrow is Lee Corso's last appearance on ESPN's College Game Day tomorrow after 38 seasons.

What's your favorite memory, your moment?

A Lee Corso's incredible career on the air.

Heather, watching on Facebook.

in beautiful Eau Claire on WCFW.

The tap says coach, coach Corso will always be the heart of college football.

The relationship between he and Kirk Herb Street makes my heart melt every time I see them.

Thanks, Heather.

Always appreciate that.

Uh, she's absolutely right.

Let's listen to, uh, just a little bit.

Well, let's take this, uh, this tribute that's going to play tomorrow.

We're not going to play the whole thing.

It's over seven minutes long.

But Mike Tarrico, the great sports broadcaster who used to be ESPN now at NBC, he starts this off.

Let's do a minute or so of the tribute from ESPN, which will play tomorrow to Lee Corso on college game day.

Yo, sweetheart, thank you for having an indelible impact on my career and my life.

Nobody like you before nobody like you after.

Thank you.

Life is good.

because you've been in it.

You truly are what it means to be gracious.

You truly are what it means to be kind.

I just want to say thank you.

It's been an honor to watch you all these years.

There's a beheaded going on in the gym.

Hey, coach.

Congratulations.

You are a legend.

I have a little headgear I'm going to try on.

Because you know what Ricky Bobby says?

If he ain't first, you're last.

Woo!

Hi, Coach Corso.

It's Ken Jeong.

It's Mr. Chow.

You're my daddy.

And you are also beloved.

You represent... That's a part of this tribute we'll play.

It's over seven minutes long.

Play at ESPN tomorrow during College Game Day Elite Corso.

That was Will Ferrell earlier, of course, as Ricky Bobby there.

And lots of other celebrities in this as well.

His 200th pick, by the way, was on October 22nd, 2011, here in Madison.

when he picked Wisconsin and they won.

So that's pretty cool on them.

Let's have you got time here for the Kerr-Kerp Street toast part or should we do that?

We come back, you think.

We can give that a listen.

Yeah, we got time.

Here is Kerr-Kerp Street this week doing a toast to his friend Lee Corso at a dinner with the College Game Day crew.

Let's do a real cheers here.

Yeah, this is to the weekend is going to be fun.

It's the opening weekend of college football.

Lee Corso's final, it's a final appearance on College Game Day.

It's going to be a blast.

We're going to celebrate this guy.

And I think every person in this room and anybody you've ever worked with, I think what's unique is people see you with the headgear and they see all the silly stuff you do.

But I think what we see is the smile every Friday meeting, whether you're the makeup artist or Reese Davis, everybody in between.

You just lightened everybody up.

You lifted everybody up.

And you've done that, I'm sure, as a coach.

But our experience with you, for me, the last 30 years, it's like, I've never seen you have a bad day.

If you have a bad day, you never really show you're having a bad day.

You're always positive.

And you're the backbone of what this show has been about.

We're going to celebrate you the way you should be.

And we just want to honor you tonight and say, you're the man.

We love you.

Lee Corso.

Kirk Herp Street the Ohio State alum and I think it was from last night actually and in Columbus where they did a dinner and Toasting the great Lee Corso at age 90 his final day on college game day tomorrow I'll be tuning in the selection should happen his final selection will he choose Brutus?

for the, uh, for the Buckeyes, or will he go against the Grain and pick Texas?

He'll find out just before 11 o'clock tomorrow on ESPN.

We're gonna come back and wrap things up here for a Friday Labor Day weekend on the Todd Albaul show on the Civic Medium.

Ready Network.

Stay with us.

That's right,

it's time on a Friday for free ticket Brewer giveaway ticket Friday

Shout

out to eight minutes before the hour of four o'clock.

Yes.

Shout

out

to Michael and Tosa for texting in asking about the free ticket Friday giveaway.

Yeah, that's happening today.

And

we're doing it now.

It's Friday, which means it's free ticket Friday giveaway for Milwaukee brewers on the network.

And normally we give you a keyword in the first hour of the show.

We keep giving it and you text in.

And then this, we're still gonna do it, by the way.

Thanks to Michael.

If I could, Michael, if it was legal, and again, the lawyers here on the 12th floor remind us this is a statewide contest, and the attorneys also tell me I can't just give you the tickets, Michael, but you may be the only one listening, so your odds are pretty high.

So thank you for the, here's the deal.

I'm gonna give you a key word, and then you have, until the top of the hour,

to text in download the civic media app on your apple or android device takes less than a minute it's free open it up the civic media app the first 10 stations are the ones that were on pick one of them open that up in the lower right hand corner it'll say text and now this is for then you have to be able to go next wednesday september third against philadelphia at six forty

It's a 641st pitch for next Wednesday, September 3rd.

You'll have four tickets if you win to our club level seats.

So open up the Civic Media app, click text, and now text the word.

The word this hour is... Ball.

B-A-L-L.

Text the word ball right now on the Civic Media app.

Ball.

Five minutes.

B-A-L-L.

Your chances are winning are extraordinarily good Ball text the word ball BAL L right now on the civic all look more people are listening I thought we're getting quite a few entries.

Thank you good because if we don't get a lot of entries Summer's name.

We may not be here come Tuesday

So probably give it a little longer than that

text the word ball BAL L

to be in the running for four club level seats for Milwaukee Brewers tickets.

This is for Wednesday, September 3rd against Philadelphia, a 640 first pitch.

Text the word ball.

B-A-L-L right now on the Civic Media app.

The Brewers are back in action tonight.

across international lines up in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

The pre-game show starts at 5.30 this afternoon, first pitch just after six o'clock.

You can listen to it on WRCE and Richland Center, WISS and Oshkosh, WCQM Park Falls and WBZH in Hayward, Wisconsin.

The Brewers taking on the Blue Jays tonight, pre-game show at 5.30 across many of these stations.

Text the word ball, B-A-L-L.

right now to the Civic Media app to be eligible to win four club level seats due next Wednesday's game, September 3rd.

All right, Thomas, time for a rapid response.

Board game of the week.

Here we go.

Not only are we down to the wire, this game is about cutting wires.

It is a mission impossible of its own.

So the board game of the week is bomb busters.

The winner of the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award, German

Game

of the Year, this year is Bomb Busters, a game that came out last year.

Bomb

Busters.

Two to five players.

And you all get a bunch of little tiles that are wires, they're different colored wires.

And you're trying to cut the right ones to diffuse the bomb.

The problem is you can't see each other's wires and you can't just tell each other what they are.

So

you

have to try and use clues to guess which wires to cut and not cut the red one and blow yourselves up Wow Actual wires or just just it's their little cardboard-ish pieces that have wires printed on them I see and it has a whole bunch of different ways to change up the puzzle and So that it doesn't get boring.

It's got 66 different optional missions.

You can do.

Oh, wow, that's pretty good

And there are no explosives involved.

There are no real explosives.

Well, that's that's pretty good.

How much does it cost?

It is $40.

40 bucks.

Not bad.

Maybe you can find it online or at a game store near you.

Maybe a good a good game to play this weekend in a campground or wherever.

Fun for the whole

family.