Bless You Boys: for Detroit Tigers fans

HookSlide returns from vacation to rejoin Big Al on this week's BYB Podcast, bringing with him a special guest  - Tigers beat writer Chris Iott of Mlive.com.

Bless You Boys Podcast 125 was recorded August 22, 2014, has a running time of 60 minutes and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

Special guest: Chris Iott, Detroit Tigers beat writer for Mlive.com. Follow Chris on Twitter at @Chris_Iott.

Chris Iott interview: We cover the gamut with Chris - life as a beat writer, the demands of social media and how it's changed his job over the years, the reputation of MLive's readership and if they reflect the belief fans have turned on the team, the differences between Jim Leyland and Brad Ausmus and if it's too soon to determine if the rookie manager was the right man for the job and get his take on the Tigers losing Rusney Castillo to the Red Sox and the fallout that may result.

Rusney Castillo won't be part of  the Tigers' outfield in 2015.

Tigers chat:

As things currently stand, the Tigers' outfield for 2015 has a scary lack of talent.The offense is becoming a huge concern with no solution in sight.A tale of two starts featuring no-hit stuff.Justin Verlander retruns from injury.Sexual assault charges against Evan Reed dismissed.Playoff positioning, if the Tigers actually make the playoffs.

All that, plus tangents galiore!

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On this week's Bless You Boys Podcast, HookSlide has the week off, but we welcome back Detroit News columnist and BYB's own Kurt Mensching back to the show to discuss a disastrous week of Detroit baseball, Joe Nathan vs. the Tigers' fan base, Kurt vs. the Tigers' fan base and Victor Martinez asking for fan support.

Bless You Boys Podcast 124 was recorded August 16, 2014, has a running time of 53 minutes and features Al Beaton and Kurt Mensching.

Topics:

Slumping again: The Tigers would not make the postseason if it began tomorrow. These same Tigers held a seven game lead three weeks ago.

Weekend disaster, including ten and 19 inning losses,

Joe Nathan is in need of PR lessons.

Victor Martinez - "We really need the fans."

From Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Joakim Soria to Buck Farmer, Robbie Ray and Melvin Mercedes. And we wonder why the Tigers are struggling?

On tap, Jim Johnson? The ex-Oriole All-Star and A's washout been up and down while pitching for Triple-A Toledo.

Are we a spoiled fan base? Kurt says yes, our friend Rogo says no.

All that, plus tangents galore!

Upcoming guests:

Aug 22: Chris Iott, Mlive.com

Aug 29: Jason Beck, MLB.com

 

 

 

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This week Neil Weinberg joins us to talk Tigers, Rick Porcello, Brad Ausmus, and all things stats and advanced metrics. In the second half of the show, HookSlide and Big Al ponder where the Tigers' offense has gone, why it's disappeared and if it can be fixed.

Bless You Boys Podcast 123 was recorded August 8, 2014, has a running time of 1:23 and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

Special guest: Neil Weinberg of New English D and Fangraphs.  Neil can be found on Twitter at @neilweinberg44.

Topics:

What happened to the offense?  Tigers scored just 6 runs during the 4 game series in New York, and just 2 runs in the 3 losses combined.How to fix it? Who is to blame and is there a quick fix?Austin Jackson: Has the trade of Jackson, who was big part of Detroit's offense, hurt more than anticipated?It it far to criticize Miguel Cabrera?Alex Avila: Hhas the criticism over his bat gotten to the point where it's beyond over-the-top?David Price: Thoughts on his first start? Was Price the pitcher you expected?Jim Johnson: Thoughts on the the Tigers taking a flier on the former All-Star closer?Royals creeping closer: The second place Royals are hot again and have crept within 3 games of Detroit. Time to PANIC?Dave Dombrowski: Out of the running for MLB commissioner. Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief.TV Ratings: The team with the highest local TV ratings (with some of the lowest rights fees) is the Detroit Tigers. Their 8.38 household rating is almost a point higher than the second place team, the Cardinals.

All that, plus tangents galore!

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On Bless You Boys Podcast 122 Big Al and HookSlide break from the usual format both a live episode and welcome a special guest. Joining us in the first half of the podcast is Ben Chiswick, play-by-play man for the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Single-A affiliate for the Detroit Tigers.

Ben will fill us in on life as a play-by-play man and give us an in-depth look at the Whitecaps' current prospects and the outlook on the players the Tigers traded away in the deals for Joakim Soria and David Price.

Tigers topics:

David Price is a Detroit Tiger!Reactions are mixed in Detroit, happy in Seattle and beyond angry in Tampa Bay.Is Price Max Scherzer insurance?Is Justin Verlander bullpen bound for the playoffs?Tigers and A's in a Cold War style arms race.Outfield is full of question marks with the trade of Austin JacksonCurtis Granderson all over again.Drew Smyly is frowning.Has Dave Dombrowski gone all-in?Worries over Joakim Soria.

All that, plus tangents galore!

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A bleary-eyed Big Al and HookSlide spend another show talking about the Tigers' bullpen, ponder the pros and cons of the Joakim Soria deal along with the Joe Nathan and prospect fallout, ask how Detroit can 'win' the trade, debunk jinxes and revel in the glory that is Ryan Raburn's throwing arm.

Bless You Boys Podcast 121 was recorded July 25, 2014, has a running time of 73 minutes, and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

Topics:

Tigers acquire closer Joakim Soria from Rangers for prospects Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel.Did the Tigers overpay for Soria?Trading prospects is the equivalent of buying lottery tickets. You could hit big, but the odds are heavily slanted against you.Are the Tigers scrapping their future with prospect heavy trades? Was the Soria trade a "screw the future" deal thanks to an octogenarian owner who wants a World Series win NOW?Should the bullpen have been better addressed during this past off season?Joe Nathan is still the closer. But for how long? Would Soria be best used in higher leverage situations earlier during a game?How do we define "winning the trade?"Fangraphs: Joakim Soria and the value of a postseason relief ace.When Dave Dombrowski says it's 'highly unlikely" Joel Hanrahan pitches for Tigers, he's actually saying "Hanarahan will not pitch for Detroit in 2014."Some things will never change, such as the Tigers' connection with Lakeland.Debunking baseball voodoo: There are no such things as jinxes.Ryan Raburn is gonna Ryan Raburn. Just ask Corey Kluber.

All that, plus tangents galore!

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This week Big Al and HookSlide talk far too much about Joe Nathan and the bullpen in general, wonder how Jim Leyland would handle the closer situation, complain about All-Star Game coverage and the Home Run Derby, and learn Phil Coke is a really nice guy.

Bless You Boys Podcast 120 was recorded July 20, 2014, has a running time of 60 minutes, and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

Topics:

Bad start to the second half: For better or worse, the Detroit Tigers remain streaky as all Hell. They start the second half by losing three straight to the Indians.

Time to replace Joe Nathan? Another bad outing for Nathan in Saturday night's 5-2 loss, giving up three runs in the top of the ninth.

Ausmus not ready for a closer change: When asked about the possibility of demoting Nathan, Ausmus admitted it was a possibility.

"I'm sure there's a possibility I could reach a point sometime. I'm not near that point. I'll let you know when I am."

Bullpen struggles: The bullpen's combined numbers in the first two games of the Cleveland series: Seven innings, eight earned runs, 15 hits, five walks.

Miguel Cabrera's admission: He tried to backtrack after admitting in a Spanish language interview his lower body was still affected by last season's groin injury and resulting surgery.

The Derek Jeter Invitational, aka MLB's All-Star Game: On FOX, it was ALL DEREK JETER, ALL THE DAMN TIME.

The Home Run Derby: It's broken. The derby is too damn long, there's too much Chris Berman, and few true home run hitters take part.

Adventures with Phil Coke: Hookslide and Hookslide Jr. have nothing but good things to say about the Tigers' left-hander.

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This week Big Al and HookSlide ponder why the Detroit Tigers are so damned streaky, cover all things All-Star Game, decide Don Kelly will be the odd man out when Andy Dirks returns, reference Brandon Inge for the first time in a year, learn HookSlide is actually a gangster in witness protection and Al admits his man crush on Champ Summers.

Bless You Boys Podcast 119 was recorded July 11, 2014, has a running time of 62 minutes, and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

Topics:

I've seen streakers: Since June 16, the Tigers have winning streaks of seven, four, and three games. In the same stretch, Detroit has pair of three game losing streaks.All-Stat stuff: Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer and Victor Martinez make the All-Star team.Final Five: Rick Porcello falls short, finishing third in the Final Five vote. Brandon Inge in 2009 (Remember BranTorino?) remains the only Tiger to win the gimmicky Final Vote.All-star snubs: Ian Kinsler may be the most egregious All-Star snub of any player in baseball.Martinez injury: Victor will miss the remainder of the Royals series and it appears he'll be dropping out of the All-Star Game. Time to place Victor on the DL?Athletics trade fallout: Justin Verlander says, "They (the A's) made that trade because of us," then catches heat for telling the truth.Andy Dirks: The Neck finally starts a Single-A injury rehab assignment and should return by the end of the month.Outfield logjam: What happens when Dirks retruns? Do the Tigers go with a short bullpen? Make an outfielder available for trade? Or is the most likely scenario the same Don Kelly went through in 2012? (minus Jim Leyland's tears)Tom Veryzer dead at age 61: The much-too-young death of the Tigers' shortstop from 1975-77 sends Al on a trip down memory lane.

All that, plus lots more!

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Big Al and HookSlide discuss another winning week of Detroit Tigers baseball, ask where the team stands at the season midpoint and what may happen at the trade deadline, have the weekly bullpen discussion, realize the Tigers are cornering the Martinez market, and introduce the "Porcello."

Bless You Boys Podcast 118 was recorded July 4, 2014, has a running time of 58 minutes, and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

Topics:

Tigers reach the season midpoint with their best record since 2007.What area do the Tigers most need to improve at the trade deadline?Weekly bullpen discussion - The Tigers are rumored to have interest in re-acquiring Joaquin Benoit.Earl Weaver was Billy Beane before it was cool.Funny how the Tigers started winning games in bunches again when the starting rotation snapped out of their funk.Rick Porcello pitched a "Porcello."Realinzing you can't have enough Martinez's, the Tigers made a splash with one of their international signings, giving 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Julio Martinez a $600K contract.

All that, and more!

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One week after another BYB podcast full of talk of what's wrong with the Tigers, Al and HookSlide revel in their undefeated week, ask what has changed, are impressed by Rick Porcello and J.D. Martinez, appreciate Torii Hunter's honestly, and wave back at Ian Kinsler.

Bless You Boys Podcast 117 was recorded June 27, 2014, has a running time of 56 minutes, and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

Things were looking dire last week. The Tigers had lost 3 straight to the Royals, dropping 1 ½ games back and appeared well on their way to 3rd place. Seven days later, the Tigers have 7 wins in a row, and are back to 4 1/2 games up in the Central. But what's changed in one week?Rick Porcello is off to the best start of his career. Thursday night he tossed his first career shutout and second complete game, raising his record to 10-4 and lowering his ERA to 3.41.Dave Dombrowski tells MLB Network Radio the team is confident Joe Nathan has turned the corner, and that if the Tigers do add bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline, it'll likely be for a seventh- or eighth-inning guy.J.D. Martinez is named AL Player of the Week, and continues to bash the living Hell out of the ball.The Tigers' corner outfield positions are getting crowded. Torii Hunter sees the writing on the wall and tells the media he is willing to take a part-time role if that's best for the team.Ian Kinsler homered in his first at-bat in his return to Arlington, then waved to the Texas bench when running to first (with a huge smile on his face).Flying under the radar is Kinsler's bat, which has been just as hot as the Tigers named Martinez.Tigers have reacquired Daniel Schlereth, assigning him to Toledo.All that, and more!

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Bless You Boys Podcast 116 was recorded June 20, 2014, has a running time of 67 minutes, and features Al Beaton and HookSlide.

This week we discuss the reaction to Brad Ausmus' unfortunate joke, see encouraging signs despite the Tigers losing 3-of-4 to the Royals, ponder the possibility of benching Torii Hunter, hope Joe Nathan and Justin Verlander are fixed, and know when it's time to not be nice.

Topics:

Brad Ausmus' attempt at a post-game sarcastic joke causes a firestorm of controversy and several apologies. Was some of the anti-Ausmus reaction caused by frustration with his team's performance?The past week has shown the difference in experience levels between Ausmus and Jim Leyland.HookSlide goes into Little League coach mode to refresh everyone on just what this thing called second place is and how you can find your team there.The Detroit News' Lynn Henning advocates a fire sale on Twitter.Despite the calls for extreme moves, it's still too early to PANIC.Fans want their pound of flesh, but no coaches will be fired. The possibility of a lineup change exists.J.D. Martinez clubbed Royals pitching to the tune of a .500 average, three home runs and six RBIs. Since being called up, Martinez has given the Tigers something Torii Hunter hasn't provided in weeks - offense and not being Hunter on defense.Bullpen roulette: Luke Putkonen is out indefinitely after elbow surgery. Band-aids Corey Knebel and Evan Reed have been sent down, replaced by Band-aids Blaine Hardy and Chad Smith.The Joe Nathan whom we saw strike out the side against the Royals after finding an arm slot issue would go a long way toward fixing what has ailed the bullpen.Justin Verlander as been awful of late, but he cannot be sent down nor should he be sent to the bullpen.

 

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