WEBVTT 00:00:04.739 --> 00:00:08.660 Look, we get it, Tiger fans. We know the baseball 00:00:08.660 --> 00:00:11.660 season can be a grind. Luckily, when you're ready 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:14.939 to trade hot dogs for tailgates, we've got you 00:00:14.939 --> 00:00:18.199 covered with Litterbox, a Detroit Lions podcast. 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:21.000 It's the same unfiltered Detroit sports talk 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:23.839 you get here, just with more biting kneecaps 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:27.039 and fewer bullpen meltdowns. So when Sunday rolls 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:29.820 around, don't just pace around like AJ Hinch 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:33.259 waiting for a reliever. Fire up Litterbox, a 00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:35.719 Detroit Lions podcast, wherever you're listening 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:39.039 now, and roar with us through the NFL season. 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:51.840 Billy P from The D and Chet here. Thank you all 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:54.000 for listening to Litterbox, a Detroit Tigers 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:56.560 podcast. If you enjoy the show, please make sure 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:58.340 you hit that subscribe button so that you never 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:00.719 miss an episode. We'd love hearing your thoughts 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:03.640 too. Leave us a rating or just drop us a comment. 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:05.780 Please let us know what you think and whatever 00:01:05.780 --> 00:01:08.260 you want us to cover next. Your feedback really 00:01:08.260 --> 00:01:10.799 helps us grow and keeps the Tigers talk rolling 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:20.579 all season long. Go Tigers and thank you. You're 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:23.319 listening to the Litterbox, a Detroit Tigers 00:01:23.319 --> 00:01:28.519 podcast with your hosts, Chet West and Bill Patterson. 00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:32.599 The Tigers finally won one. However, that changes 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:36.459 nothing for this pod co -hosts opinion. The two 00:01:36.459 --> 00:01:39.840 losses to the guardians, five two on Tuesday 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:42.760 and five one on Wednesday. Basically, I think 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:46.560 the season ended there and I am as upset as I've 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:49.560 ever been. I'm going to use this platform to 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.579 vent a little. Chet, what are your thoughts? 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:54.379 Take the other side of this, Bill. And I had 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:58.260 to do a deep dive in my emotional toolbox here 00:01:58.260 --> 00:02:01.480 to figure out how to be positive on this whole 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:05.019 entire situation. But there was a time not long 00:02:05.019 --> 00:02:08.500 ago, prior to, well, let's just say July of 2024, 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:13.580 when late season baseball meant absolutely zero 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:15.680 to the Detroit Tigers organization and their 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:18.580 fan base. We had nothing. to look forward to. 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:21.340 We didn't have any players that had any redeeming 00:02:21.340 --> 00:02:23.919 qualities, really. We didn't have much. There 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:27.060 was a gap there of about a six to seven year 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:29.879 period where things were just in the toilet. 00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:33.340 And Detroit baseball was an afterthought. Now 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:38.590 we have a back to back Cy Young. We have. Cadre 00:02:38.590 --> 00:02:41.710 of young players who show some promise and we 00:02:41.710 --> 00:02:43.409 have some coming up through the pipeline I'm 00:02:43.409 --> 00:02:45.389 gonna use that little pipeline thing there that 00:02:45.389 --> 00:02:47.469 you know Scott Harris is probably gonna use at 00:02:47.469 --> 00:02:49.650 the end of this season Regardless of the result. 00:02:49.729 --> 00:02:52.729 So I'm a little more positive thinking let's 00:02:52.729 --> 00:02:55.969 look at what we have not what we don't have Okay, 00:02:56.129 --> 00:02:58.430 real quick. That's the second time on this pod. 00:02:58.430 --> 00:03:00.590 You've brought up a back -to -back Cy Young winner 00:03:00.590 --> 00:03:03.050 He hasn't won. He hasn't won the Cy Young this 00:03:03.050 --> 00:03:09.080 year. You should okay, but he but he hasn't You're 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.479 right. He hasn't won it yet, but he should and 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:13.620 at least he's up there contending He'll be in 00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:16.620 the top two race. Yes, you're gonna be the runner 00:03:16.620 --> 00:03:19.599 -up or the Cy Young winner so I shouldn't say 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.879 back but but a a Potential back -to -back. Yeah. 00:03:22.979 --> 00:03:25.460 No, I I think it's fair and you're right. You're 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:27.960 right in correcting me you bringing up you're 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:31.439 bringing up an excellent point and let me explain 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:35.780 my position and Feel free to poke holes as you 00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:40.069 want. Okay. I just think that I'm coming slowly 00:03:40.069 --> 00:03:44.189 down off this cloud. And if we, the cloud being 00:03:44.189 --> 00:03:47.729 this magical run they've been on since August 00:03:47.729 --> 00:03:50.210 of last year. I mean, it happened the middle 00:03:50.210 --> 00:03:53.150 of August and it's been nothing short of amazing. 00:03:53.250 --> 00:03:56.490 It's been nothing short of fun. And I still sit 00:03:56.490 --> 00:04:00.169 here and can't help but wonder if the problem 00:04:00.169 --> 00:04:04.300 isn't bigger than Scott Harris because I also 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:06.960 happened to be a pretty big hockey supporter 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:10.060 and fan of the Detroit Red Wings. And I'm starting 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:13.159 to draw parallels, whether that's fair or unfair, 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:17.860 Chad, to what this egregiously long rebuild is 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:21.079 going on with the Detroit Red Wings in looking 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:24.019 that, well, Chris Illich is the principal owner 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:28.740 for both these franchises. And were Scott Harris's 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:31.759 instructions at the trade deadline to dumpster 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:35.629 dive because He is, he being Chris Illich, is 00:04:35.629 --> 00:04:39.769 not his dad willing to, let's say, operate maybe 00:04:39.769 --> 00:04:43.009 not the same margins that would be the key level 00:04:43.009 --> 00:04:46.410 of profitability. The Tigers have drawn well 00:04:46.410 --> 00:04:49.649 this year. They've given the city something that's 00:04:49.649 --> 00:04:51.889 long overdue to cheer about because last season 00:04:51.889 --> 00:04:54.129 it was really only two months of, of meaningful 00:04:54.129 --> 00:04:57.689 baseball. And I still think, no, there was no 00:04:57.689 --> 00:05:00.620 magic rabbit there. But you and I have used the 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:04.459 term get creative. And I've not seen any creativity 00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:07.199 from this tiger's front office. And if Scott 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:09.579 Harris gets up there and hides behind the, Hey, 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:11.899 the farm system, the farm system, the farm system, 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:16.660 you have wasted two great years of potential. 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:19.980 And let's hope he wins the Cy Young. I'm a huge 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:22.740 scubal fan. You've wasted two years of that chat. 00:05:22.740 --> 00:05:26.670 Yeah. And his value. is now called that out in 00:05:26.670 --> 00:05:29.110 our last show. I'm fully aware of that. I mean, 00:05:29.110 --> 00:05:31.709 that was my, you know, it's like the lions with 00:05:31.709 --> 00:05:34.709 Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders wasting top 00:05:34.709 --> 00:05:39.550 talent. But and but we've already decreased scoobles 00:05:39.550 --> 00:05:43.670 value on the trade market, probably to what 80 00:05:43.670 --> 00:05:46.089 cents on the dollar, unless they get rid of them 00:05:46.089 --> 00:05:48.670 in the hot stove meetings this winter. If they 00:05:48.670 --> 00:05:51.160 trade them at next year's deadline. I equate 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:54.019 that to 15 cents on the dollar, 10 cents on the 00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:57.379 dollar. And if they just let them walk for nothing, 00:05:57.779 --> 00:06:00.160 which maybe, maybe they'll sign them. I don't 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:02.519 think it's a good value to sign them. Let New 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:05.759 York or one of the East coast or West coast teams 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:09.740 pay him that money and focus your efforts elsewhere. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.920 Again, I am going to cringe and feel like I'm 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:16.439 being gaslit if Scott Harris gets up there and 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:18.860 says, well, we made the playoffs. That shouldn't 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:21.839 have been the expectation this season. The expectation 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:25.620 in July in the all star break should have been 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:27.860 you get one of the two top seeds and you compete 00:06:27.860 --> 00:06:30.360 for the world series this year with the best 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:34.319 pitcher in baseball in a deep lineup of young 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:37.480 talent. And they needed a leader to lead them 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:40.680 both on them. you know, the mound from the bullpen 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:43.540 standpoint, another starter, and they needed 00:06:43.540 --> 00:06:45.920 a big bat that's reliable. I just don't know 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:48.259 that it was out there or that easily obtainable. 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:51.740 I agree with your creativity idea, and they needed 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:55.079 to be more creative. But you just don't know 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:56.699 what's out there. You know, this is part of, 00:06:56.779 --> 00:06:59.500 like, as fans, we don't know the other side of 00:06:59.500 --> 00:07:02.120 the tale here. Like, I can sit here all day long 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:03.740 and say, we need this, we need this, we need 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:05.779 this. Do you think the front office doesn't see 00:07:05.779 --> 00:07:08.579 that? I mean, it's not like they don't want to 00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:12.319 win. They want to win. They're just I think it 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:16.100 gets to the point where it's easier to say it. 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:20.399 It's harder to do it when you're in their situation 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:22.819 and they don't have ownership who's going to 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.180 go out there and buy winning teams. They're just 00:07:25.180 --> 00:07:27.060 not the Dodgers. They're not the Yankees. And 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:29.240 I know you're you're picking on the owners more 00:07:29.240 --> 00:07:31.220 here, probably a little more here than you are 00:07:31.220 --> 00:07:34.160 the GM, because you want to see them back this 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:37.579 team financially the way that the that the elder 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:41.060 illich backed his teams back in the teens financially 00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:44.300 yeah but that also that also created a you know 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:48.639 a quite a deficit in those latter teen years 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:50.500 that they had to dig out from underneath they 00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:52.839 were in the red for a while it's been well reported 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:55.379 they lost money on the team. The Illiches didn't 00:07:55.379 --> 00:07:57.180 lose any money, but the team lost some money. 00:07:58.100 --> 00:08:00.079 I, you know, I think the construct of baseball 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:02.620 is a tough one for fans to wrap themselves around, 00:08:02.899 --> 00:08:05.000 but wrap their heads around the business concept. 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:08.660 You know, you've got these no salary cap. So 00:08:08.660 --> 00:08:11.819 teams that can can spend wildly. You've seen 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:14.220 what's happened to the twins with no television 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:17.660 revenue coming in. And it's our expectation that 00:08:17.660 --> 00:08:20.500 these billionaire owners are just going to lose 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:23.060 money on one of their ventures. I keep going 00:08:23.060 --> 00:08:25.300 back. They're not billionaires. They wouldn't 00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:27.160 be billionaires if they were willing to lose 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:29.899 this kind of money. They're business people first. 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:31.740 They're smart people. They don't want to lose 00:08:31.740 --> 00:08:34.320 money on a baseball team when they can make money 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.320 on a baseball team. That's the decision you're 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:39.139 being given. Make money or lose money. And we 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:42.000 can point to the New York Mets whose owner is 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:46.399 a billionaire running it like a fan and they're 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:50.080 struggling mightily. Their team is still bad 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:53.149 to a degree. I mean, they still do not run things. 00:08:53.190 --> 00:08:55.470 It's just you're right. You're dead right. That's 00:08:55.470 --> 00:08:57.750 a fantastic example. And then it comes down to, 00:08:57.809 --> 00:09:00.169 well, do you want to lose money and not get to 00:09:00.169 --> 00:09:02.210 the World Series or the playoffs? Because the 00:09:02.210 --> 00:09:04.529 Mets are eyeballing that right now. Yes. I mean, 00:09:04.649 --> 00:09:08.309 that's a that's a very real scenario. And there's 00:09:08.309 --> 00:09:10.570 a team that traded for Ryan Halsey at the deadline. 00:09:10.690 --> 00:09:14.090 And Ryan Halsey basically pooped the bed. Yes. 00:09:14.149 --> 00:09:16.370 I mean, the guy didn't perform. And that's a 00:09:16.370 --> 00:09:18.929 that's they gave up young talent. They've given 00:09:18.929 --> 00:09:20.970 up money and they still aren't getting what they 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:23.309 want baseball is an imperfect sport where that's 00:09:23.309 --> 00:09:27.970 concerned So coming back to my fandom there's 00:09:27.970 --> 00:09:30.570 two two things can be true at once One, I don't 00:09:30.570 --> 00:09:32.350 know the parameters that the illich family and 00:09:32.350 --> 00:09:35.330 chris illich put on sure scott harrison company 00:09:35.529 --> 00:09:37.710 There's a lot of unknowns for us. So we don't 00:09:37.710 --> 00:09:40.629 know that. Number two, when I say get creative, 00:09:40.909 --> 00:09:43.230 I'm still and we've brought it up ad nauseam, 00:09:43.350 --> 00:09:46.370 but the Rafael Devers trade, like just thinking 00:09:46.370 --> 00:09:49.870 outside the box. And I guess what I don't want 00:09:49.870 --> 00:09:52.950 is the front office to get up in front of us. 00:09:53.309 --> 00:09:56.570 And I'll use the gaslight again, get up there 00:09:56.570 --> 00:09:59.230 and say, Hey, you know, it was an epic collapse. 00:09:59.470 --> 00:10:01.590 We didn't see it coming. You know, these guys 00:10:01.590 --> 00:10:04.720 are better than that. You know, Nobody stepped 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:08.860 up, so on and so forth. And Chet, the fact remains, 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:11.539 you and I documented this for months, that players 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:15.639 like Z -Mack, Matt Vierling, were playing so, 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:17.840 they were punching so far above their normal 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:21.460 weight. Claybar Torres, Javier Baez, or Javi 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:24.460 Baez, whatever we want to call him. And outside 00:10:24.460 --> 00:10:28.220 of Riley Green and Dylan Dingler, there hasn't, 00:10:28.340 --> 00:10:31.539 I guess, Torque, there hasn't been real reliable 00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:34.899 offense. And I get the teams young, but boy, 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:39.679 oh boy, I just wish the Tigers had given us something 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:45.340 more than dumpster diving. And so my concern 00:10:45.340 --> 00:10:48.360 is, is Scott Harris looking at metrics that are 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:52.320 not applicable or not accurate? Or was it, hey, 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:54.759 you don't have the budget to do it because we're 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:59.159 still paying this awful Javier Baez salary. And 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:02.409 this is the first year we've really drawn. in, 00:11:02.409 --> 00:11:06.309 you know, almost almost a decade. And I'm different 00:11:06.309 --> 00:11:08.070 than my dad. I'm not going to, you know, I'm 00:11:08.070 --> 00:11:11.970 not a sports fan. I wasn't a Detroit Tigers farm 00:11:11.970 --> 00:11:15.730 hand like my dad. I am going to run it is a smart 00:11:15.730 --> 00:11:18.250 business person should have profits and losses. 00:11:18.549 --> 00:11:20.950 And, you know, if we're not making 20 % on this 00:11:20.950 --> 00:11:25.039 or whatever the number is, then no. And so I 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:28.000 think the days of yore when the owners put their 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:30.639 emotions behind a team, I think the money is 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:33.360 just too much these days. I think the investment 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:37.139 in the outlay is just so much that you have to 00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:39.960 have a business mind to deal and run these teams, 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:42.779 or you have to say no and you have to have limits. 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:45.620 And I think baseball, of all the sports that 00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:49.019 we have, I think baseball is so due for a salary 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:53.490 cap, it's ridiculous. And I will say this. And 00:11:53.490 --> 00:11:56.850 I'm stealing this a little from a Friends podcast 00:11:56.850 --> 00:11:59.909 called Roster to Rings. Listen to the Roster 00:11:59.909 --> 00:12:03.590 to Rings podcast, the latest episode from this 00:12:03.590 --> 00:12:06.450 past week they had Jason Garrett on. They talk 00:12:06.450 --> 00:12:11.750 about the 2026 CBA that's coming up and how the 00:12:11.750 --> 00:12:15.429 salary cap is going to be in huge focus coming 00:12:15.429 --> 00:12:18.190 around the corner here. One of the solutions 00:12:18.190 --> 00:12:21.049 or one of the offerings to this should be salary 00:12:21.049 --> 00:12:24.899 floor likewise. And they deep dive it, they do 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:27.379 a much better job than you and I ever will discussing 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:31.399 the monetary, the finances around all these things. 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:34.419 But I think that the salary cap is necessary 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:37.299 in baseball to keep these teams in business, 00:12:37.659 --> 00:12:41.860 A, but B, also to keep the competitive balance, 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:45.360 but put the floor in there too. I think a team 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:48.659 like the Pirates or a similar team that never 00:12:48.659 --> 00:12:52.419 invests ever in their team monetarily, Finishes 00:12:52.419 --> 00:12:55.100 in last place or second to last every season. 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:58.259 You know what if they don't Exceed a certain 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:00.899 amount in salary to show they're competing and 00:13:00.899 --> 00:13:03.019 willing to compete on a year -in year -out basis 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:06.159 Don't give them their revenue sharing Don't give 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:09.779 them their money Penalize them, you know and 00:13:09.779 --> 00:13:14.120 in European football we have relegation We have 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:17.700 penalties most teams get relegated to lower leagues. 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:20.559 They don't draw as well. They don't get the finances. 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:22.940 They don't get the the monies that come along 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:25.539 with being in the Premier League. Maybe that's, 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:27.299 you know, maybe we got to penalize some of these 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:29.940 teams for not trying hard enough. I couldn't 00:13:29.940 --> 00:13:32.320 agree more. So if we're going to look at it holistically, 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:34.460 yes, baseball needs a salary cap. Yes, there 00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:37.200 needs to be a salary floor. Baseball's biggest 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:40.059 issue we've talked about, though, is how hard 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:42.659 it is to access the game and that the Dodgers 00:13:42.659 --> 00:13:44.700 have their own network. The Yankees have their 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:47.720 own network. The Red Sox have New England Sports 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.799 Network. The Cubs have marquee. And the problem 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:55.980 is you and I pay for MLB app and I'm blocked 00:13:55.980 --> 00:13:59.360 or I'm blacked out of, you know, two of 30 teams. 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:01.940 Yeah. Yeah. So a whole nother business failure 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:05.620 of the LB. It's like you. Yeah, I get where you're 00:14:05.620 --> 00:14:07.740 going with that. That's another thing that needs 00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:09.980 to be worked out. OK, so let's talk about the 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:13.899 here and now. Yeah, I winning one of three, I 00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:16.720 guess. What does it do for the Tigers? I'll tell 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.759 you what, they're back in first place. OK, but 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:21.759 they lost first place. They got it back. They 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:23.940 get they won a game. They really had to win. 00:14:24.059 --> 00:14:29.059 But they still lose all tiebreakers. Yep. Because 00:14:29.059 --> 00:14:32.139 the moment the Guardians have taken that series, 00:14:32.139 --> 00:14:35.659 you know, for the year. So now we go to Fenway 00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:37.720 Park, which is going to be fun. I mean, what 00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:40.759 a great way to end it. Yeah. I mean, and this 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.440 goes back to my like Two years ago, two seasons 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:45.200 ago, we had nothing. I know, I know, I know. 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:47.139 I mean, what a great way to end a baseball season. 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:49.679 So we've got Mize on the bump tonight going up 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:52.600 against Harrison. Actually, I'd like the Tigers 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:56.940 chances in this one. Harrison's, it's Kyle Harrison. 00:14:57.139 --> 00:15:01.879 He's 24 years old. He is a lefty and he's ERA. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:07.399 This year is 3 .58. His whip is 1 .19. I still 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:09.879 think the Tigers, I give them a puncher's chance 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:11.700 now that they finally got the monkey off their 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:14.080 back. And I think they can win two of three. 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:16.019 The question is, is that going to be enough? 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:20.019 Given the other two things that we have to scoreboard 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:24.519 watch now. The Guardians are playing the Rangers. 00:15:25.379 --> 00:15:29.340 Who are still, I believe, mathematically alive, 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:32.149 but hanging on life support. Right. Yes. Yes. 00:15:32.250 --> 00:15:35.649 Okay. And that is in Cleveland. And then we also 00:15:35.649 --> 00:15:38.490 have to pay attention to the Astros who are traveling 00:15:38.490 --> 00:15:43.309 to Anaheim to play the angels. And so, yeah, 00:15:43.409 --> 00:15:47.409 it's fun. Uh, first places. You know, back in 00:15:47.409 --> 00:15:49.389 play, the Tigers are two and eight in their last 00:15:49.389 --> 00:15:53.129 10. Nowhere to go but up. I certainly hope they 00:15:53.129 --> 00:15:56.470 take two of three from the Red Sox. But at this 00:15:56.470 --> 00:15:58.309 point, what worries me is they're sitting at 00:15:58.309 --> 00:16:01.750 86 and 73, the same as the Guardians. The Red 00:16:01.750 --> 00:16:04.940 Sox are a game ahead of them. 87 and 72 and have 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:08.000 not clinched a playoff spot. The Mariners clinched 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:11.799 the AL West with 90 wins. Uh, currently Toronto 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:14.879 has 91 wins. So did the Yankees. So getting one 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:17.159 of those top two seeds is completely off the 00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:20.039 table. And then you've got the Houston Astros 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:23.019 who won yesterday against the athletics, a game 00:16:23.019 --> 00:16:28.399 behind you at 85 and 74. So, uh, it's basically 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:31.440 three teams for two spots. And you back into 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:35.519 it if Houston just loses out Right. Yes, and 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:37.960 well for Boston is playing for something right 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:41.059 now So we got to go to boston to play a team 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:43.440 that's playing for something at the moment that 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:46.980 which it's That we might have to end up playing 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:49.860 one of these teams in a three game series next 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:52.480 week Who would you write? I mean it is it is 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:55.220 the question right now if the season ends today 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:57.740 You're playing cleveland in the first round of 00:16:57.740 --> 00:17:00.059 the playoffs, which The last thing I want to 00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:02.580 see is more of Stephen freaking Kwan. I don't 00:17:02.580 --> 00:17:05.220 want to see any more of him. He, I'll tell you 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:08.220 right now. You've brought him into focus for 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:12.799 me. He is, he does all the right things. He's 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:14.579 awesome. If you want to look at the Cleveland 00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:18.960 baseball team, they do all the things the Tigers 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:23.119 don't do. They play small ball. They, I mean, 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:26.220 hell, half their runs from this past week's series 00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:28.900 were like bunts and moving guys over and doing 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:31.839 the little things. Yeah, I lost my belief in 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:34.420 this team and don't want them to back door in 00:17:34.420 --> 00:17:36.420 because I think they'll have no momentum. I think 00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:39.279 they'll be dead in the water. Sure. That all 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:42.400 being said, Chet, I actually would prefer they 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:45.140 play the Guardians in a three game set next week 00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:47.640 because they can't play any worse against the 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:50.500 Guardians. Can they? I don't think they can. 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:53.160 As a matter of fact, I think it's there is some 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:55.220 upside to playing the Guardians to one degree 00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:57.440 or another. I just there are like our unicorn. 00:17:57.940 --> 00:18:00.960 We cannot solve them year in and year out. It 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:03.619 becomes very difficult to watch one team beat 00:18:03.619 --> 00:18:06.940 you consistently and do it with like what amounts 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:10.240 to Chinese water torture. Basically drips and 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.079 drops here and there. It's not like they blow 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:14.059 us out. It's not like that You know, it's almost 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:15.759 like hey, we've got the hope and then it gets 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:18.059 ripped away in the sixth or seventh inning I 00:18:18.059 --> 00:18:20.400 will I I'm just happy we're doing postseason 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.359 baseball and this goes back to my original theme 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:26.740 here I'm happy. We're in the postseason I'm happy 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:29.400 that these games are meaningful I do find it 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:32.039 interesting that we did something amazing last 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:33.880 year and we may do something even more amazing 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:35.740 in the other end of the spectrum this year. Yes 00:18:36.560 --> 00:18:39.579 But it's it is what it is and I'd rather have 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:42.339 this than nothing and being uncompetitive in 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:45.079 September Agreed and it makes for good potting 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:48.519 for the fact that we can sit We can we can sit 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:51.039 here on opposite ends of the spectrum saying 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:53.619 similar things, but yet coming at it from different 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:56.740 angles people It's about the content. So here's 00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:59.289 what worries me I think Mize is going to have 00:18:59.289 --> 00:19:01.690 a good outing tonight. I think the Tigers, again, 00:19:01.750 --> 00:19:03.630 that monkey off their back, I expect them to 00:19:03.630 --> 00:19:06.130 win tonight. Going up against a lefty is going 00:19:06.130 --> 00:19:08.630 to present its own challenges, but I think some 00:19:08.630 --> 00:19:11.809 of our hitters are due. What concerns me is tomorrow 00:19:11.809 --> 00:19:15.769 it's the 3 -10 game of the week in that Saturday 00:19:15.769 --> 00:19:19.549 afternoon slot to be determined on every website 00:19:19.549 --> 00:19:24.549 I'm looking at for our Detroit Tigers going up 00:19:24.549 --> 00:19:31.009 against Connolly Early, who doesn't have a lot 00:19:31.009 --> 00:19:36.890 of history, is one and one, 1 .88 ERA, 22Ks, 00:19:36.890 --> 00:19:40.210 1 .12 whip. So there's not a lot of tape out 00:19:40.210 --> 00:19:43.329 there. There's not a lot of, you know, anything 00:19:43.329 --> 00:19:45.970 to go off of. And then Sunday, we've got Scoobal 00:19:45.970 --> 00:19:49.009 on the bump again, and the Red Sox this time 00:19:49.009 --> 00:19:52.069 are to be determined. So it's going to operate 00:19:52.069 --> 00:19:56.160 like a playoff series, which Should hone the 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:59.759 Tigers fairly well for the postseason which I'm 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:02.460 gathering that you're expecting almost at this 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:07.059 point where I still think they could not make 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:10.680 it and Yeah, it there is definitely a chance. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:12.859 They don't make it. Don't get me wrong I'm not 00:20:12.859 --> 00:20:15.599 I'm not banking on anything. I'm just saying 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:20.599 a I love how exciting it is and B if they do 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:23.240 somehow get through this and get into the playoffs 00:20:23.589 --> 00:20:25.670 They're battle -tested, baby. I mean, they're 00:20:25.670 --> 00:20:28.470 ready to roll. There's no downtime. There's no 00:20:28.470 --> 00:20:31.690 waiting around. They've been in the playoffs 00:20:31.690 --> 00:20:34.329 for the past week, as far as I'm concerned. That's 00:20:34.329 --> 00:20:37.210 what this has been like. So you've done a great 00:20:37.210 --> 00:20:40.329 service to me, because you've pretty much talked 00:20:40.329 --> 00:20:43.089 me off the tiger's ledge that I was on. That's 00:20:43.089 --> 00:20:45.569 all I wanted to do today. Yeah. So not only are 00:20:45.569 --> 00:20:48.380 you a good friend, you're a great co -host. and 00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:50.960 getting me back on board, excited for what's 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:52.859 gonna happen tonight, excited for what's gonna 00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:56.279 happen tomorrow, and watching with bated breath 00:20:56.279 --> 00:21:00.480 on Sunday. So for that, I thank you, and I hope 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:03.279 the Tigers deliver on this, and agreed. It's 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.279 a lot more exciting now than it was five seasons 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:10.900 ago when we were looking at call -ups that are 00:21:10.900 --> 00:21:14.039 no longer part of the organization. And people, 00:21:14.579 --> 00:21:17.000 you could always be a Rockies fan. You could 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:19.960 always be a Pirates fan. You could always be 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:22.279 an Angels fan who have had one of the best baseball 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:24.240 players of our time and paired with the other 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:26.680 and still never getting to the playoffs. You 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:29.440 could be, you know, any one of these fan bases. 00:21:29.460 --> 00:21:31.980 You could be an A's fan losing your team to another 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:35.599 city, but you're not. You're a Tigers fan. Your 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:38.500 team is in the mix in the final week of the season. 00:21:38.740 --> 00:21:41.380 Don't take that for granted. We can go back the 00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:44.059 other way real fast. Let's see what happens at 00:21:44.059 --> 00:21:47.750 Fenway. Look. No expectations at this point, 00:21:47.849 --> 00:21:49.869 other than I'm going to enjoy at least watching 00:21:49.869 --> 00:21:52.789 a game or two of baseball one way or the other. 00:21:52.930 --> 00:21:55.170 Hopefully it's enjoying watching three more games 00:21:55.170 --> 00:21:57.450 of baseball in this season. It's going to be 00:21:57.450 --> 00:21:59.890 done pretty soon. Six games totals. We're going 00:21:59.890 --> 00:22:03.349 to come back next spring. The flowers will blossom 00:22:03.349 --> 00:22:06.329 and we'll have hope renewed. Hope renewed. And 00:22:06.329 --> 00:22:09.170 we'll do it all over again. Excellent. So let's 00:22:09.170 --> 00:22:11.089 see what happens here in the final three games. 00:22:12.089 --> 00:22:20.349 Go Tigers. Go Tigers. All right, that's gonna 00:22:20.349 --> 00:22:22.829 do it for this episode of the Litterbox, a Detroit 00:22:22.829 --> 00:22:25.569 Tigers podcast. Thanks for hanging out with us. 00:22:25.809 --> 00:22:27.829 We're Bill and Chet. We'll be back soon with 00:22:27.829 --> 00:22:30.670 more Tigers Talk. If you're enjoying the show, 00:22:30.930 --> 00:22:33.910 be sure to follow or subscribe on Spotify, Apple 00:22:33.910 --> 00:22:36.809 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 00:22:37.250 --> 00:22:39.670 And hey, if you got a minute, leave us a quick 00:22:39.670 --> 00:22:42.890 review. Till next time, go Tigers.