One of the best things about working on a sports talk radio show is that you get to sit around and discuss provocative and sometimes controversial sports topics with your friends and a bunch of strangers.
Of course, that’s also one of the tougher things about the gig.
Every Wednesday is “list day” on “The D-List,” which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on Milwaukee’s ESPN Radio 1510 Days / 1290 Nights. Each week, co-hosts Dan Needles, Bill Johnson and I select a category and try to come up with a “top five” list to fit it. We keep them secret until we are on the air, then invite listeners to comment on our lists and give us theirs.
In terms of intellectual endeavors, I will be the first to admit this is not astrophysics. Heck, it’s not even introductory calculus. But, it’s not exactly easy, either.
In order to ensure that the reactions are genuine, each co-host keeps his list a secret until we hit the air. When I formulate my list each week, my first goal is to avoid the obvious answers and come up with at least one item that Bill and Dan may have overlooked.
This is a major challenge.
Johnson and Needles have forgotten more trivia than most people dream of knowing. Bill’s head, which we think may actually be larger than the one belonging to Brewers outfielder Kevin Mench, (both wear size 8 baseball caps!) is stuffed with facts gleaned from reading football and baseball cards his formative years.
Though Needles often has a hard time remembering what he had for breakfast (it’s usually a Swiss Miss chocolate pudding cup, a powdered doughnut and a king-size Mountain Dew), he also won the sportscasters edition of the ESPN game show “Stump the Schwab.” Beating the bespectacled, goateed, throwback jersey-wearing Howie Schwab is like climbing Mt. Everest for sports trivia geeks, most of whom get their only exercise by jumping to conclusions and clicking the computer mouse to find stats for their fantasy teams.
In anticipation of the basketball game between Marquette and Wisconsin, which the Badgers won by a 70-66 count this afternoon at the Bradley Center, our challenge this week was to come up with a “dream team” – a starting lineup of five players culled from the all-time rosters of both schools.
Sound easy?
Go ahead and grab a piece of scratch paper and draw one up while I yank my loafer away from my daughter’s puppy and toss her in the back yard (the dog, not the kid).
(Pause).
(Whistle).
(Toe tap).
OK…
Pencils down; time is up. How many names did you names did you write down and then cross out? (My first draft looked like Joe Torre’s lineup card from the 2002 All-Star Game.) How many times did you think you were done, only to think of another player and say “How could I have forgotten that guy?”
This exercise shows that there have been a lot of good players at these two schools. Most of them have been guards or small forwards and many of them went to Marquette, which had the stronger program through most of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
When you start on an exercise like this, the names and memories start flowing like Leinenkugel’s at a frat party: George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Butch Lee, Mike Kelley, Steve Novak, Travis Diener, Wesley Matthews, Doc Rivers, Joe Chrnelich, Jim McIlvaine, Scott Roth, Jerome Whitehead, Don Rehfeldt, Don Kojis, Marc Marotta, Bernard Toone, Mike Wilkinson, Larry Petty, Tim Locum, Tony Smith, Sam Worthen, Earl Tatum, Rashard Griffith, Sam Okey, Lloyd Walton, Tom Molaski, Bill Neary, Kirk Penney, Claude Gregory, Gary Rosenberger, Rick Olson…
How can you limit yourself to just five? You have to. Here is mine. Hold your applause (and / or boos) until the end.
Point guard -- Devin Harris, Wisconsin. The skinny kid from Tosa East, now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, was lightning quick with the basketball, steady with the jumper and played aggressive enough defense to win the nod over the likes of Doc Rivers, Butch Lee, Travis Diener, Sam Worthen, Mike Kelley, Rick Olson, Ric Cobb and others.
Shooting guard -- Dwyane Wade, Marquette. The closest thing to a no-brainer on this list. Probably the best player ever to play college hoops in the state. He took Marquette to the Final Four and now has an NBA championship ring, a Sportsman of the Year award and he hasn’t even hit his stride yet. The sky is the limit.
Small forward -- Michael Finley, Wisconsin. Can it really be his 11th NBA season? A slasher who could get to the basket against any defense in the country. I had to pick him over George Thompson, Steve Novak and the others.
Power forward -- Maurice Lucas, Marquette. Those high-flying frontcourt guys are going to need protection. Few people were as intimidating inside as Mo.
Center – Jim Chones, Marquette. It may seem as though these schools haven’t produced a lot of standout “bigs,” but that’s probably because the little guys were so good. Chones, who played in high school at Racine St. Catherine’s, averaged a double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds) and was All-American before jumping to the pro ranks. The Warriors were 49-1 during his time at MU.
There you have it. Feel free to use the Talback feature to rip it to shreds and ad your own. In the meantime, enjoy the game today and check out our sports blog, Saucy Stadium Secrets, for notes and nuggets from one of the most highly-anticipated Milwaukee sporting events in years.
Of course, that’s also one of the tougher things about the gig.
Every Wednesday is “list day” on “The D-List,” which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on Milwaukee’s ESPN Radio 1510 Days / 1290 Nights. Each week, co-hosts Dan Needles, Bill Johnson and I select a category and try to come up with a “top five” list to fit it. We keep them secret until we are on the air, then invite listeners to comment on our lists and give us theirs.
In terms of intellectual endeavors, I will be the first to admit this is not astrophysics. Heck, it’s not even introductory calculus. But, it’s not exactly easy, either.
In order to ensure that the reactions are genuine, each co-host keeps his list a secret until we hit the air. When I formulate my list each week, my first goal is to avoid the obvious answers and come up with at least one item that Bill and Dan may have overlooked.
This is a major challenge.
Johnson and Needles have forgotten more trivia than most people dream of knowing. Bill’s head, which we think may actually be larger than the one belonging to Brewers outfielder Kevin Mench, (both wear size 8 baseball caps!) is stuffed with facts gleaned from reading football and baseball cards his formative years.
Though Needles often has a hard time remembering what he had for breakfast (it’s usually a Swiss Miss chocolate pudding cup, a powdered doughnut and a king-size Mountain Dew), he also won the sportscasters edition of the ESPN game show “Stump the Schwab.” Beating the bespectacled, goateed, throwback jersey-wearing Howie Schwab is like climbing Mt. Everest for sports trivia geeks, most of whom get their only exercise by jumping to conclusions and clicking the computer mouse to find stats for their fantasy teams.
In anticipation of the basketball game between Marquette and Wisconsin, which the Badgers won by a 70-66 count this afternoon at the Bradley Center, our challenge this week was to come up with a “dream team” – a starting lineup of five players culled from the all-time rosters of both schools.
Sound easy?
Go ahead and grab a piece of scratch paper and draw one up while I yank my loafer away from my daughter’s puppy and toss her in the back yard (the dog, not the kid).
(Pause).
(Whistle).
(Toe tap).
OK…
Pencils down; time is up. How many names did you names did you write down and then cross out? (My first draft looked like Joe Torre’s lineup card from the 2002 All-Star Game.) How many times did you think you were done, only to think of another player and say “How could I have forgotten that guy?”
This exercise shows that there have been a lot of good players at these two schools. Most of them have been guards or small forwards and many of them went to Marquette, which had the stronger program through most of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
When you start on an exercise like this, the names and memories start flowing like Leinenkugel’s at a frat party: George Thompson, Dean Meminger, Butch Lee, Mike Kelley, Steve Novak, Travis Diener, Wesley Matthews, Doc Rivers, Joe Chrnelich, Jim McIlvaine, Scott Roth, Jerome Whitehead, Don Rehfeldt, Don Kojis, Marc Marotta, Bernard Toone, Mike Wilkinson, Larry Petty, Tim Locum, Tony Smith, Sam Worthen, Earl Tatum, Rashard Griffith, Sam Okey, Lloyd Walton, Tom Molaski, Bill Neary, Kirk Penney, Claude Gregory, Gary Rosenberger, Rick Olson…
How can you limit yourself to just five? You have to. Here is mine. Hold your applause (and / or boos) until the end.
Point guard -- Devin Harris, Wisconsin. The skinny kid from Tosa East, now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, was lightning quick with the basketball, steady with the jumper and played aggressive enough defense to win the nod over the likes of Doc Rivers, Butch Lee, Travis Diener, Sam Worthen, Mike Kelley, Rick Olson, Ric Cobb and others.
Shooting guard -- Dwyane Wade, Marquette. The closest thing to a no-brainer on this list. Probably the best player ever to play college hoops in the state. He took Marquette to the Final Four and now has an NBA championship ring, a Sportsman of the Year award and he hasn’t even hit his stride yet. The sky is the limit.
Small forward -- Michael Finley, Wisconsin. Can it really be his 11th NBA season? A slasher who could get to the basket against any defense in the country. I had to pick him over George Thompson, Steve Novak and the others.
Power forward -- Maurice Lucas, Marquette. Those high-flying frontcourt guys are going to need protection. Few people were as intimidating inside as Mo.
Center – Jim Chones, Marquette. It may seem as though these schools haven’t produced a lot of standout “bigs,” but that’s probably because the little guys were so good. Chones, who played in high school at Racine St. Catherine’s, averaged a double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds) and was All-American before jumping to the pro ranks. The Warriors were 49-1 during his time at MU.
There you have it. Feel free to use the Talback feature to rip it to shreds and ad your own. In the meantime, enjoy the game today and check out our sports blog, Saucy Stadium Secrets, for notes and nuggets from one of the most highly-anticipated Milwaukee sporting events in years.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
