Giveaway brainstorm day... make things out of Clay... and lay by the bay...

Yes, you are correct in guessing that the title of this post is both a Happy Gilmore and John Clay shoutout.

For this week's assignment, the goal is to think of some unique ways to give away tickets/prizes to multiple ESPN Madison events on the air.  For instance, whoever calls in on The Badger Hour and guesses the #1 of the "Top 5 at 45" receives a spot for the Miller Lite Brewers Bus Trip.

Idea number one:

I think an awesome way to give away tickets/prizes is to make sure the listener is fully tuned in at all times.  In essence, the most attentive listener deserves the prize.  The best way to determine who the most attentive listener is can be to give them clues multiple times throughout the show, say at the :15, :30, and :45 min mark to a certain individual or event... just like 20 questions.

So lets say for The Badger Hour, the clues are as follows:

1) I played both running back and defensive end in high school.

2) I am currently a free agent after being undrafted

3) I was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2009

The first person to call in and identify John Clay as the mystery athlete wins the tickets/prize.

Idea number two:

Next month, the third annual Madison Mini-Marathon kicks off with both the half marathon and the 5K.  This has been a huge success, with so many entries last year that the event was sold out.  This year, ESPN Madison is giving away registration spots.

Trivia can always be one of the best routes to take.  In 2010, Daniel Sutton of Baraboo, WI crossed the line first for the men in the half-marathon in a time of 1:09:58.  For the women, Katie Howery of Verona, WI came through in 1:21:38.

Those times are blazing, no doubt.  But how about the world record holders for each gender?  Now those times are fast.  Call in with the two world record times in the half-marathon to reserve your spot in the Madison Mini-Marathon.



7-21

Some more photoshop action for you... Gotta love the state fair! Eat a cream puff.  Or ten.

Learning How To Bucky... 5 Burning Questions

Can you feel it?  It's the first week of July: It's hot, muggy, and about time for some football before we all lose our minds.  With all of the hoopla surrounding the NFL and the lockout, it's nice to know that we will still have Saturday mornings to look forward to, especially with Bucky looking primed for a championship year.  That being said, let's take a look at five big questions surrounding the Badgers.

Forewarning: It's hard to not talk about Russell Wilson when you mention the Badgers.  Let's face it, we're all jacked.  So if you're sick of hearing about him... well... sorry.  On Wisconsin.

1) Wisconsin prides itself on smash mouth football by running between the tackles.  How will this style of play change with Wilson at the helm?  Will anything change, or is Wilson the one that has to do the adapting?  The former NC State QB is incredibly gifted both inside and out of the pocket, so it will be interesting to see what kind of offense flows with his style of play.    

2) This notion of playing style is what I am looking forward to the most with the Badgers.  Their offensive attack while successful has always been both methodical and predictable.  Long drives and execution have been the ingredients to success in Madison, so what is going to change when Wilson steps under center?  If I'm Bret Bielema, I've got to find a way to create the perfect mix between hard nose grind-it-out football and the explosion of Russell Wilson.

3) One of the biggest factors that I think is going to change this team is the ability of the "big play." Wisconsin's home run hitter in the past has usually come from special teams, often in the form of David Gilreath.  This year, Wilson brings that extra explosion to the table which will surely keep defenses on their heels.  No offense to Scott Tolzien, but I don't think any D-coordinators were planning around his mobility.  It will be a whole new ball game come September with Wilson rolling out of the pocket looking for deep threats like senior Nick Toon and up and coming sophomore Jared Abbrederis.

4) Besides Wilson, the Wisconsin backfield has plenty of seasoned talent with junior Montee Ball and sophomore James White.  Last year, Wisconsin featured a three-headed running attack with John Clay getting a majority of the carries.

So who is the go-to back this year, and who gets the start?  This is the nicest problem to have as a coach knowing that you have two reliable players who both contribute.  Both players bring their own style to the field, and both players have shown what they can do.  In a nutshell, whoever has the hot hand is going to get the rock.

5) 1-0... Bret Bielema's philosophy is all about taking one step at a time, so it will be intriguing to see how the Badgers prepare week in and week out given their high hopes for the season.  The Badgers are are ranked this pre-season in the top ten in the nation by Sporting News Magazine.

"Excited to be in the Top 10," said Bielema.  "It's a great recognition of what we've accomplished in the past and what our team expects and is working to achieve in the future."

Let's hope the excitement doesn't get in the way of execution.  People have claimed that Wisco is a lock for the Big Ten title and a legitimate contender for the national championship.

Gives me goosebumps.

1-0.