Where are we at in society today? Come after me. I'm a man,
I'm forty. Go ahead, make my day every single week. I
put my freaking heart and soul into this. I don't go out there and
laugh. It's not funny. Nothing's funny to me. I don't wanna go
out there and get embarrassed on Monday night football. For everybody, I think
this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. So I ain't nothing changed from
yesterday. Still the same person I was yesterday, and I got the same
thing for you that I had yesterday. You know why I'm here. You
play to win the game. You don't play to just play it. That's
a great thing about sports. You play to win. I don't care if
you don't have any wins. You go play to win. You start telling
me it doesn't matter to retire, get out for the matters. I wonder
how many people when they listen to that open recognize the voices Mike Gundy Yoklahoma
State University, Derek Anderson then of theear A Cardinals, and Marshawn Lynch.
Of course, in between the movie clips there welcome everybody out of Friday.
You made it, man, you made it to the end of the week.
Way to go, Happy for you, Happy for us too. Ben
is our producer on Matt Shepard. This is Exes and Bros. We're with
you from six until nine Monday through Friday throughout the great state of Michigan,
and the Meyer Hotline welcomes you as well. Eight six six eight three eight
forty eight forty three. The text line is sports Radio to twenty one thousand.
Colton Pouncy. We talked to yesterday he of the athletic covers the Lions.
Really good conversation in the eight o'clock hour. We will replay that at
the bottom of this hour in case you didn't have a chance to listen to
it at all. Tigers had the day off yesterday. They are in Arizona
for the first of a three game series in the first of a six game
road trip starting tonight. Trek Scoob gets the call. Then it'll be Jack
Flaherty, then Matt Manning. In the series, Detroit has dropped four straight
series. They have dropped seven of ten games. Overall. The Diamondbacks are
two games under five hundred, but they have won seven of their last ten
coming in. These are the games where you look for your ace, right,
What does it mean to be an ace? Aces are guys like Justin
Ferlander, Jack Morris, Denny McClain, slash Mickey Lolich. Those are the
aces in Tiger's history, Hal Newhouser, let's not go back too far,
right, I don't want to spoil it too much, but those are the
aces. The aces are the guys who are supposed to stop streaks. Trek
Skugbel has become that for Tigers fans, and justifiably so. He's that good.
Not sure I trust anybody else on this starting staff to do what we
think is Trek Scubel will do tonight, or that we're asking him to do
tonight. He is a guy who I think most Tigers fans completely trust.
Stop me if I'm wrong there, but I think when hea'ts on the mound,
Tiger's fans look at it and say, we're winning tonight, or we've
got a really good chance at winning tonight. But here's the thing with most
of your starters, now that Kentomaieta is on the shelf, with most of
these starters, if not all, shouldn't you feel that way after the way
they have pitched so far? I would guess that's not where your trust is
necessarily misplaced. Your your trust is valid there. The trust in the offense
is where you might get misplaced. And we've gone over that time and time
again. What you have to wonder is, at what point in a baseball
season. I don't think it's yet, but we're getting precariously close. At
what point during the season does the front office go it ain't working, time
to make a move and do it quickly. As you look at what teams
are doing now, neither you nor I expected the Tigers to do with the
Phillies have done. For example, Phillies have thirty one wins in the National
League, most of anybody. They lost yesterday to the Mets in eleven innings.
I'm not sure you expected them to be where the Yankees are. Yankees
have thirty wins after shutting out Minnesota again last night or yesterday five nothing Clark
Schmidt for crying out loud of all people, a career high eight shutout innings,
eight strikeouts, no walks. But they got some clutch hits. Volpie
with a home run, Taurus with an RBI doubled the left center field.
You can look at the box score. For the rest line is they got
their thirtieth win last night. They have proven so far that they are the
best team in the American League. Baltimore's right there with them. Cleveland win
wise, is right there with them. But I'm not buying into Cleveland just
yet, which is kind of unfortunate and it's really not fair, but that's
just how I feel right now. Cleveland has earned your respect because of what
they've done. You've got fifteen roadkills so far this year. That's impressive.
Only the Yankees have more in the American League and in Baseball because the Phillies
have fifteen roadkills and that is tied with Cleveland. I don't think you expected
the Tigers to do with the Dodgers are doing. But you know what,
I don't think it's far fetched to have believed what Milwaukee has done that Detroit
could not have done the same thing. Minnesota at twenty four nineteen wouldn't have
been out of reach, would it. I don't think. So. They're
below five hundred, you know that, and it's frustrating as hell. So
they get Arizona tonight. Aj Hinch has made a statement about a player that
has become toxic. In fact, I would argue I don't think I don't
think he can get it back with Tigers fans. So we'll talk about that
coming up. Meanwhile, last night in hockey, the Rangers beat Carolina five
to three. They came from three to one down in the third period to
eliminate the Hurricanes in six games. Has he got a chance to watch any
of that? It's a really good game, Chris. He's the guy who
led them back. The assistant captain scored the natural hat trick in the period
to lead New York into the Eastern Conference Finals. Crid joins two other Ranger
greats as the only Rangers to score three goals in a period in a playoff
game? Who are they? Mark Messier the Guarantee Game nineteen ninety four against
New Jersey and Wayne Gretzky three years later. Speaking of Gretzky and Messier,
Edmonton, where they won? Did they win three cups or four? Four?
Loses the lead? In Vancouver they were up twice and they fell three
to two to the Caducks. So Vancouver now leads three games to two.
One game. In the NBA last night, Minnesota used a twenty to nothing
first half run and went on to blow out Denver one fifteen to seventy.
I know you're shaking your head, going, how in the hell did that
happen? Seriously, you're going, wait, this is the defending world champions.
Anthony Edwards scored twenty seven to lead the Wolves, most of that late.
The Nuggets shoot just thirty percent. It shows you that even the best
of the best, and until somebody knocks them off, they are the best.
It shows you that they can have all kinds of issues at least on
any given The bigger the night, usually the better the team's play. Who
are expected to be that challenging championship contender. Nikola Jokic had twenty two in
the lost nine rebounds. I went nine of nineteen from the floor. They
rested him to a certain extent. He did play thirty six minutes because Minnesota
had pulled away so comfortably, especially in the fourth where the Timberwolves outscored him
twenty nine to nine. So there's your headlines right there. Jared Goff spoke
to the media yesterday. We'll talk about that coming up, but we want
to get to what aj Hinch said about one specific player that I think has
a lot of Tigers fans shaking their head. We'll talk about that when we
come back on Excess and Bros. After this across the Great State of Michigan.
We played for the three that rushing field. With the game on the
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How do you guys wash? You know, just kind of wash a
game like this away when you know just kind of nothing goes right for you
and everything goes right for them. I think we shouldn't. I think we
need to sink in like it's a great loss. They beat us, they
destroy us, and we should learn it. And you need to keep the
respect, you know, when they they came out and actually we had it
like nine two Exclora right, fun didn't look good for them in that period,
you know, but since then it was it was a one team show.
So I'm gonna I'm gonna take this as a great loss. Well and
Nicole that and that's Nikola Jokic. I'm gonna take it as a great loss.
Yeah, yeah, that's really the only way you can take it.
Welcome back Exces and Bros. Monday through Friday six until nine. Jokic was
pretty darn good, but it was much too little, too late. One
fifteen seventy, Minnesota blows up Denver. I think that's the hard part for
fans. I know sometimes it is for me to recognize the other teams,
I don't want to say greatness, to recognize what they can do, what
they are capable love, and that they could actually do it against your team
is pretty hard because we all like to think realistically, Now, if you're
a really good team, we like to think that our team is the best.
Our team is the one that should be doing what the other team is
doing to it, especially if they wont a champion. What's that phrase,
never underestimate the heart of a champion. Well, Denver was down to nothing
in the series Minnesota, or I should say, yeah, Denver is down
to nothing in the series and the Nuggets respond with three consecutive wins, and
then what do you do. You're like, this Minnesota team, look,
you got to give them some love. They won fifty six games. Give
them some love. You know, damn well, they're not going quietly either
way, whether it be Denver winning the series or Minnesota winning the series.
A good team's coming out right, sure. Still to be embarrassed by forty
five is ridiculous. I mean, Minnesota Leby has meant is fifty in that
one. Anyway. I know you don't want to talk Denver Nuggets in Minnesota
Timberwolves. I don't blame you. That's not something we're going to talk about.
Just a quick aside there, aj Hinch. With the Tigers dropping below
five hundo for the first time this year, there are questions from Tigers fans,
and good questions, understandable, realistic, fair questions. How do you
fix the offense? Number one? That's your big picture, right. It
shouldn't be on one specific player because nobody knows is carrying this offense. There's
not one player who you're looking at and suggesting he's fine, not one,
And I don't even know if you can do that with any team in Major
League Baseball. But there are certain guys you don't worry about. Is that
fair? I don't think there's any but Sho hal Tani went over to last
night. I don't think anybody in Dodgerland is worried about Shoeo Tani. I'm
not sure people in Philadelphia are sitting here going. I'm not sure what Trey
Turner has given us this year. Not a big fan Dodgers and Mookie Betts,
same thing. Stephen Kwan, even though he's hurt in Cleveland. Trust
him at the top of the line You damn right, you trust him at
the top of the lineup. Jeremy Paniam, Arcelo Zunim. Maybe it's because
there is a bit of a track record there, but you use your eyes,
you recognize Edlie Rushman's is a really good player. He's fine. Baltimorioals
fans are going, He's fine. Jose l two Bay has done it for
a long long time in his career. He's doing it again this year.
He's fine. It's interesting and it's easy to look back on this. It's
really simple for me to play armchair quarterback and you do the same. But
it's interesting that the Tigers needs have been shortstop in third base the left side
of the infield, right. I mean, they're still looking for those guys.
They don't have an everyday third base and otherwise they wouldn't sign Jill or
Shecheliff. For crying out loud, They've overpaid for their shortstop who has given
them nothing. Can we come to an agreement on that? Good? Okay?
East Soak Parades, who was traded to Tampa for Austin Meadows, which
is one of the worst trades, not just in Tiger's history, but in
Detroit sports history. Essak Parades is hitting over three hundred in Tampa and is
an everyday player there. He's got eight home runs, so there's pop there.
He gets on base, he hits for average. He's not going to
win a Gold Glove, but he's not going to kick the ball around either.
Willie Adamas was in this team system. It's a while back now,
traded for David Price. I get it. I'm not saying it's the wrong
move, but you did have a guy and people weren't recognizing it when the
trade for Austin Meadows to Place a few years back. I can tell you
I was thrilled. Honestly, I can admit that I'm wrong. I was
thrilled. You got a guy who hits over three hundred, a guy who
drives in over one hundred runs, and a guy who has the power to
give you thirty bombs. He was an All Star again, not a gold
Glove, but he's not jose Canseco on the fl the other So that's pretty
fired up. But I don't have all the inside information. See, when
you talk to teams, and I've said this for my entire career, there
are certain things we don't deserve to know. I'm not going to pry into
certain situations with team management. So I get it they feel like I should
be at arm's length, and other reporters and members of the media too.
Okay, if I give you that respect, then you have to be willing
to accept the arrow slung your way and the perception slash reality slash opinion of
those members of the media saying you did not do your homework. Someone failed
miserably because you gave up a guy who you knew could hit how well we
weren't sure it's not like he was tearing the cover out the ball with Detroit,
but he wasn't. It's a very small sample, says, don't tell
me that you really can't judge a player until he gets fifteen hundred at bats.
That's what we hear all the time with offensive players. What's the number
of at bats somebody needs, I would say somewhere in the neighborhood at fifteen
hundred in their career before you judge them. Okay, well, then after
one hundred and seventy two at bats with Detroit, which is what esak Paratus
got, don't tell me that he can't hit. Don't tell me you've come
to the conclusion because he goes to Tampa and what does he do. Though
he may have struggled his first year, not with power, he had twenty
bombs. He had thirty one homers last year, hit two fifty respectable,
and drove in ninety eight. These are better numbers than Spencer Torkleson. And
this year he's off to a great start. We'll talk more about that at
the top of the hour. When we come back, we'll replay our interview
with Colton Poncey. Colton Poncy the athletic covers the Lions, talk about the
schedule, talk about Jared Goff. We'll talk about more with Colton Palcy from
yesterday. We'll replay our interview in case you missed it on XS and Bros.
When we return on a Friday morning. Across the great state of Michigan.
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