The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - The Big Suey: Take a Gummy and Text Stevie Van Zandt

Episode Date: October 3, 2024

Mad Dog Russo is here to talk Mets baseball and the boneheaded management of their bullpen, the pitch clock changing baseball, and Shohei Ohtani's expectations for the postseason. He also shares his most recent experience at a Bruce Springsteen concert. Then, Dan has a regret from the first hour and has started to leak confidence. Plus, Tigers play-by-play broadcaster Jason Benetti is here to chat about what might just be the best story in baseball. He explains when the season changed for Detroit, compares the Tigers to another sport's most magical runs, welcomes Jeremy to the Gritty Tigs bandwagon, and offers up some of the best limited fakes in show history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Terms and conditions apply. Welcome to the big suey presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBattard podcast. I'm sorry. I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries. That if they're just there that hasn't happened to you guys.

I've done it. And now here's the marching band to nowhere fat face and the habitual liar This is not television hair mad dog. This is not ready for first take on Wednesdays mad dog. This is hair blown back by Metz in the playoffs mad dog Look at him that That's it. That your hair is crazed because you were, you had the eighth inning last night. You were ready for the Mets to advance

and like choking dogs, Mad Dog. They sent you to bed reeling with your fists tight, I imagine. How mad were you last night, seeing the end of that baseball game? Well, I'm not a Met fan per se, so that helps a little bit, but I am rooting for the Mets

because I want to see him against the Phillies. That's a horrendous loss. Mendoza left Meytan in way too long. I mean, he gave up two singles and a homer and a hard hit double playground ball. Get him out of the game, please, Jase, put somebody else in. And then of course the kid hits the homer off.

I would have brought Peterson in the starter, lefty lefty. That's what I would have done. But he didn't. He hits the home run and lose the game and other Mets are in a death now. Here with Milwaukee 5050 game tonight. I mean, I would have no I would think the Mets have a good chance because they won these kind of games all year. But that was a terrible loss. They're five or six outs away from getting into the next round. They got Milwaukee reeling,

and they let it slip through their hands. So, where this would be a fast game tonight, you know, a game that's got some drama to it. It's a game three. There's very few game threes in these wild card series, but that is one of met fan, that stings, Danny. That stings last night. No doubt about it.

I see your eyes are closed because you're in a hypnotic baseball state. I've been listening to your show the last couple of weeks. October. And yes, what's happened, I saw you breaking down tiebreakers because you were doing Kansas City Royals schedule and seeing that they had to go nine and four down the stretch. Yep.

Because you are in your element right now. There is nothing, right? Is there anything in sports that does what this time of year does to you. That's a good point you know you the thing about the base for your love this a game every night in October. And it's not once a week it's a game every night so you had 3 games 4 games yesterday got a game that a you got 4 games

Saturday got 2 games Sunday albeit against the football and then you got games on next week. So these games are good because you got multiple games and I've said it before, Dave Anderson used to tell me this and he's a thousand percent right the Pulitzer Prize winning writer for the times. Baseball at its highest level. Now that doesn't mean people are going to watch it and I know that it's this is not 1960. I get it. But baseball at its highest level, where there's intensity and its playoff implications, the drama of it is to me, unsurpassed

because there's no clock. You have to get 27 outs. And I think that makes it a very, and the moment of truth can come at any time in the game. Moment of truth in the NBA, in a playoff game, does not come in a second quarter. The moment of truth can come at any time in the game. Moment of truth in the NBA, in a playoff game, does not come in a second quarter. The moment of truth in a hockey game doesn't necessarily come in the first period.

Football, it doesn't come before halftime. In baseball, the moment of truth could come in the fifth inning, the eighth inning, the second inning, and no clock, gotta get 27 ounce. It makes it a fascinating scenario. Now listen, I'm not saying in June, White Sox Angels is must watch TV don't get me wrong regular season baseball it takes forever 162 games I understand but when you get to this

level it's fun and that game tonight if you're a sports fan are you want to watch the Falcons in the which most of America would do against Tampa I get it and I'll have that game flipping around too. Although with Amazon, it drives you crazy because it's a different remote, which is another thing that drives you nuts. You can't flip it around because you got the thing on the Amazon, which Roger Gideau doesn't care. So right.

You know, the more the money comes in, he don't care if we're inconvenienced as a sports fan. But you know, MetSports tonight's a good event. It's a good sporting event. Net fans will be into it. MetSports would be a great series. You know, San Diego Dod tonight's a good event. It's a good sporting event. Net fans will be into it. MetSkillies will be a great series. You know, San Diego Dodgers five game series, that's gonna be an absolute Donnie book.

But again, I'm not saying it's for everybody. I'm just saying if you like sports, if you get to these kind of scenarios, it can be enthralling. There's no question about it. I have to, and I'm hesitant to do this because you're a legend. I have to just mildly correct you on something. Oh question about it. I have to and I'm hesitant to do this because you're a legend. I have to just mildly correct you on something.

Oh stop it. You've been saying for so long, correctly, that baseball has no clock but it does now have a single clock. Like it does have, it doesn't have a clock at the end of the game but they do, they have added a bunch of things to baseball to make it more interesting. I don't know whether you like these things. I do. they've made everything better I think.

I you're right I mean look look the San Diego brave game. 2 nights ago was 2 hours and 9 minutes. I mean that I mean think about it the Braves and Padres now this and it was a low scoring a 4 one whatever was low scoring game. But 2 nights ago that's 2 hours and that's unheard of. It's almost too quick. But yes, the clock is a much near they did a very good job. I know people don't like the Ghost Runner and they don't like, you know, certain things like that in the 10th inning.

I don't have a problem with it. They don't do it in the postseason. And of course, the scenario with the with the clock moves the games along. They did an excellent, excellent job of that. 100% right. I like that. Now, listen, the thing, I don't like their playoff structure. I mean, there's no way the Yankees, I mean, the Yankees are gonna play two games in 10 days.

I mean, that's ridiculous. They won a division, they finished the season last Sunday, they don't play for six days, and then they got off days all over the place as they get started. They play Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. I mean, that's two games in 10 games and 10 days. I mean, that's, you can't get into any rhythm.

So that does drive me crazy. And you know, they do it for the television and all that nonsense. And I wouldn't do it that way. I wouldn't worry about it, but they do it. It's the way it is. You know, the NBA's first round takes two weeks. That's stupid too.

The NFL, they put the games on peacock in the post season. I can't stand that. Listen, it's TV rules the world, Dan. You and I both know that. Stu Gotts, you and I both know that. You gotta live with it. But again, for drama this next eight, nine days with all the games, it's fun.

It's fun. Doggie, you agree, right? Ohtani needs to do it in October, right? I'm gonna give him a break, this first one, because this is his first ever time. He's been so great, MVP the whole bit. What are we gonna kill him? But he has a bad first season.

Bonds had a lot of bad playoffs before he finally had a couple of good ones when he was on steroids. I mean, Bonds was bad. He was bad in 90 with the Pirates. He was bad all those years. He couldn't hit himself out of a paper bag. I had John Franco on the other day talking about Pete Rose,

and he's still mocking me because he struck Bonds out at the end of game two in 2000, which spurred the Mets to beat the Giants, which drove me crazy. And Bonds was awful striking out there. But the bottom line is, is that Ohtani, I'm gonna give him a little pass, and I don't think he's gonna be bad. I think he's gonna be good anyway.

And that is gonna be a great series. I mean, Padres Dodgers, Padres are 44 and 20 since July, whatever it might be. They hate each other, the rivalry. That's gonna be a good, good series. Again, are we gonna watch it in Walla Walla, Washington? Is it gonna be on in Arlington, Virginia? You know, at 11 o'clock at night?

We'll have to wait and see. But Ohtani should be a huge draw. I should judge. And if they ever get judged against Ohtani, Yankees, Dodgers in a World Series, they're gonna have people talking about it. So from a baseball perspective, that's what they need. I think we all agree.

Mad Dog, yesterday Dan LeBattard said that Shohei Otani's season was more impressive than anything Barry Bonds did in his career. No, I did not say that. I said the last two months of, no, what I said is that the last two months of Otani, it is not ridiculous, because David Sampson said that it's not even close.

Barry Bonds' best two month stretch versus Otani's best two month stretch. And I said, it is ridiculous to say that anyone was appreciably better than what Otani has been the last two months. You can't say, the last couple of months of Otani have been as well as a baseball player can play. I agree. And how can anybody bring up bonds?

Because everybody knows he was on the steroids. I mean, how does anybody who's a baseball fan consider, listen, I'm a giant fan. So if anybody's going to appreciate bonds, it's going to be me, but bonds between 92,000 and 2007, his head grew three times the size and he was on the juice. He never hit any more than 46 homers and all of a sudden he's hitting 73. I mean, come on.

Same with McGuire, same with Sosa. So I put a big asterisk next to that. I do not put an asterisk next to a tiny. The one thing I didn't like guys, I did not like that last at bat against the Marlins when he hit the three run homer at 17-three against a positional player. That to me was overkill.

He shouldn't have been in the game. So to me, the six for six with the 10 RBIs, it was almost like five for five with seven RBIs. That to me was stupid. Betts was out of the game. Freeman was out of the game. He had already hit his 50th homer. He had his 50th stolen base.

He should not have been in the game. That's me. Now a lot of people think I'm crazy, this is theater, this is entertainment. They came to see Ohtani, they had 15,000 at Marlins Park that night. Don't give me the idea that 50,000 was still sitting in the stands watching Ohtani. That's nonsense.

So I wouldn't have done that, but I think Danny, you were right. I think the last couple of months under pressure, scrutiny, stolen stolen bases home runs You have to give and I'm not a huge Ohtani fan, but you got to give him his due He was super and think about it. How could you not be a huge? How could you not be a huge Ohtani fan? What's the matter with you? I'm not just not as big I mean I am a fan but you know the the Ruth comparison drives me crazy, but I will say this

There's only one player in the history of the 50 homer, 50 stolen base thing that you could actually even consider that may have been able to do what Ohtani did. And that would have been Willie Mays in 1955. There are 55 guys, 50 guys who have hit the 50 homers, but Ruth wasn't going to steal 50 bases. Hank Greenberg wasn't going to steal 50 bases. You know, the only guy, McGuire wasn't going to do it. The only guy that could have done it was Mays, who in 55 hit 50-something homers and he had 24 stolen bases. The next year he had 40 and he led the league. He was 23 years old. If Willie wanted to steal 50 bases in 1955, Willie would have stolen a

50 base. That's the only guy. So from from what he did this year pretty damn impressive what he did Barry Bonds when you mentioned him It's not just his first postseason Because it's seven or eight no his he was so bad he walked out He was could hit he could not hit at all in the postseason until the season when he had the 73 home runs. Yeah, and all of a sudden he corrected all of his career averages in the postseason. But that was one of the most puzzling things you've seen in baseball, I've got to imagine. The fact that he would be a terrible baseball player in the postseason.

I think he hit one home run in 97 at bats before he went crazy against the Angels in the 2002 World Series. I think in that series he was eight for 17 with 13 walks from that man, which is an astronomical. But that was 02 and you know the steroids had done something to him. Now remember Troy Glaus won that World Series for the Angels and he did steroids too. So let's keep in mind on that. I'm not blaming, that's not the reason why, you know, the angel fan, while he was, hold on, your guy was on the juice too. I say I'm big on the steroids thing.

A lot of fans don't care about it. I do. But bonds between that period there, three years for the Pirates, 97, the game against the Marlins, he was awful. 99 against the Cubs, he was awful. Against the Mlins, he was awful. 99 against the Cubs, he was awful. Against the Mets, he was awful. I mean, all those years in the postseason,

Bonds couldn't have hit himself out of a paper bag and go look up the numbers. Don't go by me, go look them up. I was at half the games. And so as we saw to that, you know, that to me as a giant fan affects how great he was. Now the funny thing is, his first year as a giant, in 93, he was. Now the funny thing is, his first year as a giant in 93,

he was unbelievable. He had 46 homers, he had 123 or 127 RBIs with the equal amount of runs scored. The guy was unbelievable. He was two homers and seven RBIs late in the year. He was great, but in the post season, Bonds had some trouble. So that's just all there is to it.

I don't give old Tony, I don't want to say it's a complete pass but I think old Tony I think you got to give him a little break it is his first ever postseason bonds had many of them when he well I'll tell you the guy who's got some pressure on him how about judge getting some hits. Yep. Judge has not been good in the postseason he's got a last postseason hit like 130 he's a 219 career postseason hitter. Judge needs a good postseason for the Yankees. Let's see what he does here.

And the Yankees, I'll say something else. The Yankees right now, they're up against the American League Central. If the Yankees can't get to the World Series against the Guardians, Tigers, and Kansas City, that is, Houston's out, the Orioles are out. If he can't figure out if Boone and the Yankees can't figure out a way to get to the World Series at a place they haven't been in 15 years against the American League Central. That's a very

bad look. Extra pressure on the Yankees with what's going on so far in the postseason. Matt Dogg, I'm headed to see Springsteen in concert the next time he comes around. I'm headed to see Springsteen in concert the next time he comes around. I'm looking for your advice at a Springsteen concert and your top five songs by the boss. Oh, Wheelhouse. I was very lucky because I saw him in Camden Yards three weeks ago and I wanted to hear, I gave him a list of six songs and I wanted to hear all six and I got five of the six. So I was very fortunate. I think you know he's going to Canada. I think you have to hear Rosalita. He's 50 50 with right with playing that right

now. He does not play in Europe. He's 50 and 50 right now playing in here. What are you scratching? What are you scratching back there? What's going on with Springsteen? My shoulder hurts there Danny Tate. I'm a little man. You gave Springsteen six songs that you requested. I didn't give it to him.

I didn't give it to him. I said it on the air. I wanted to hear it. He played five, he was listening doggy. He was listening, everyone's listening doggy. I wanted to hear Lonesome Day, I got it. I wanted to hear Atlantic City, I got it. I wanted to hear Noome Day, I got it. I wanted to hear Atlantic City, I got it. I wanted to hear No Surrender, I got it.

I wanted to hear Bobby Jean, I got it. And I wanted to hear Rosalita, I got it. I was texting Steven A, Steven A. I was texting Steven Van Zandt at two o'clock that afternoon. I said, Steve, how about Lones afternoon. In the middle of a coming and he said haha haha haha 740 at 746 at night at Camden yards, yes, gummyville and a break was lonesome day. There you there was no advice given there was it's it's take a gummy and text even say. was Lonesome Deck. There you. There was no advice given there. It was just you. That's all right.

It's fine. It's take a gummy and text SteadyVanzant. Yeah, OK. Mad Dog, it is good seeing you. It is always good seeing you. I will tell the people you can get your baseball playoff energy from Mad Dog Sports Radio on SiriusXM. He hosts Mad Dog on leash weekdays, 3 PM Eastern.

And he's also on MLB Network's High Heat and ESPN's First Take. Always good seeing you, sir. Thank you always. Danny, great to have you. Stu Gotts, we love you guys all. Thanks for having me on. Love you, doggy. Thank you. Always appreciate the time.

Look at the smile on Amin's face. You guys got to be on top of that shit, man. When that guy starts talking about texting Stephen Van Zandt, your finger has to be hovering right over that button. I was slow with the look at me, Louie? Yeah. Yeah, man. I haven't been the same, I got to be hovering right over that button. I was slow with the look at me, Louie? Yeah, yeah man. I haven't been the same, I gotta be honest.

I have some remorse here about what happened in the first hour and I will tell you why. Well before you do that, I do have some regrets about that interview. I had a question I wanted to ask and I thought I thought I was gonna get in, but we ran out of time. But I was gonna ask him, at bat for your life. A variation of the Stugatski shot for your life.

At bat. Banz Ohtani? No, Ruth Ohtani. Oh wow, hmm, next time. What do you think he would've gone with? Ruth. He said he wasn't that much of a fan of Ohtani. Yeah.

But it'll give him a pass. Because of the Ruth comparisons. And that was when it dawned on me, it was like, holy shit, you think at bat for his life? If I tell him, hey, we got a pitching machine on the mound and we're going Ohtani or Ruth, he's picking Ruth? Pitching machine? Yeah.

That's gotta be a real pitching machine. Do you know how confused Babe Ruth would be by a pitching machine? That's true. Right. Ohtani's on the mound, I think. Otani's on the mound, right. Oh, they gotta pitch to each other. But Otani grooves one, well no,

he wouldn't groove one into himself, so no. No, they gotta. He's gotta throw it and then run really fast to home plate. I believe he could do it. I believe he could do it. I believe he could throw it, run, grab the bat, hit it, go yard, and then run out and catch it. It's too bad we didn't have time for that question.

No, right? You could have done all of that with him. We're really getting to the good stuff now. Yeah. Hey folks, it's Mike. From defending your favorite team after a bad loss to obsessively checking your fantasy lineups, football fandom is bigger than just Sundays. Miller Lite knows the passion that comes with rooting for your team,

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Visit BetterHelp.com to learn more. That's betterHELP.com Don LeBattard I had Rachel and Emma both home and I was in a fight with Rachel and I said if you roll your eyes one more Time there's gonna be a problem a big problem. And she said really What are you gonna do? Stugats. Oh god damn. I mean that's where I didn't have an answer This is the Don LeB Levitar show with the Stu gods The regret that I have in the first hour and I don't know if this is what happened, but I felt like it was what was happening. I was just doing bit on Craig Carton.

However, I will say while my objection, because I'm always pro-forgiveness on just about everything, especially when you've served your time for mistakes. My objection to everything that's happened with Craig Carton is about the industry. It's not about Craig Carton. It's about the idea that somebody would get second chances when whatever the skill set is of what we do isn't that special. The second chances need to be given around here

for talking into microphones. But you can object to that in a second. Can I get to my regret though? I didn't say anything. I'm making faces. You did say, no you said whoa, and then you threw up your hands and you distracted me. Let him cleanse his soul man, go ahead.

Go ahead, please continue. Dan, Babe Ruth actually would have seen a pitch machine because the pitch machine was invented in 1897. Two years after Babe Ruth was born, so in his prime, he would have been taking hacks out of a pitching machine The pitching machine was invented in 1897 That first one Charles Howard Hinton invented the first pitching machine in 1897 at Princeton University

I need to see what that first one looked like Was it coal powered? It was I have black smoke coming out the top of it It was gunpowder Oh really? Assembled by a catapult and was powered by gunpowder to provide a consistent accurate pitches for the Princeton baseball team.

Everybody who comes out of a bullpen now is powered by gunpowder. Everybody throwing a hundred miles an hour. So the thing that made me leak confidence on that is that I felt like the entire room recoiled when my first sentence was about Craig Carton not being a very good broadcaster. I felt like I lost the, there's the first pitching machine right there, it's a cannon. You don't know if you're gonna take BP or something.

That's gonna shoot you. It's terrifying. That's the thing that Magnum P.I.'s assistant shot in the intro. That is well done by you, AminI.'s assistant shot in the intro. That is well done by you, Ameen. Don't ever ask me the origins of why a guy has a cannon, okay? Ameen, you just referenced, you are so self-involved that you just referenced the Magnum P.I. intro

that you referenced a week ago expecting that people would know what you're talking about because in the middle of the Magnum P.I. intro, his butler is inexplicably shooting a cannon. That's the reference that you just made. That's the cannon he's shooting. Everyone knows the Magnum P.I. intro, Dan. Duh. That's stashed, by the way.

Put it on the poll at LeBittard Show. Does everyone know the Magnum P.I. intro? Are you done explaining your regret from hour one? I don't know if I have it right, but the room recoiled and then I started leaking confidence on what it is that I was doing. Do I have accurate how it is that the room responded to me you know, opening with the idea of mimicking Craig Carton

by saying Craig Carton isn't a very good broadcaster, period, stop, because I felt like I lost all of you right there, that you thought it was mean, that I'd crossed the line, because I don't usually say anything like that very often, and it felt too harsh about somebody, and I felt like I lost you, but if indeed you felt that, my next thought was, if you felt it there,

why don't you feel it when Craig Carton says it about Mike McDaniel? Like, because we've gotten so used to You can criticize anything from these entertainers and sports figures that we could be any kind of cruel to them But why wouldn't you apply the same standard across the board to people who are talking about sports as well? It was a good take. I mean Well, it was a good take. I mean, I don't know. Yeah. Graphics on the screen though. That if you had graphics on the screen for the take that you had, maybe that would have been, I would have been able to scan down. He had like Mike McDaniel one for six against, you know, X, Y, and Z teams.

Tony, what would the graphics have been for Dan segment right there? Dan's take. We should, we have years in prison, years in prison, money, money, bezel, you know, certain that would have been good That would have been good to do that graphically carton stats to even be meaner than I already was being so you think we? Recoiled the way that Magnum PI recoils when the butler pulls off the cannon in the Magnum PI intro I didn't get that sense that we were recoiling from that I didn't either but Dan certainly sensed it from you guys. Dan, sometimes, you know what you're like, Dan? You know how they got dogs that could smell a stroke

happening before you actually have it? You're like that with that room. You sense things, they don't even know it's happened yet, but it's already happening. I don't know if I have it accurate or not, but I'm just being made happy because they are downloading here. Jason Benetti is with us, and if you do not know who Jason Benetti is with us and if you do not

know who Jason Benetti is you should because he is somebody that throughout baseball circles is being celebrated as about the best that is doing it these days which is hard to top Boog Shambi who I thought is the top of the profession. Or Mad Dog. Or Mad Dog, who Stugatz thinks should be the voice of baseball, but he's the celebrated play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Tigers. And I don't know if the Detroit Tigers have felt like this. You tell me, you correct me if I'm wrong.

Thank you for joining us, Jason. Since they, Kirk Gibson was on their team and they started a season 35 and five in terms of Detroit baseball feeling as positive as it does right now because Everyone is surprised by what is happening in Detroit and again. Thank you for joining us Jason. I Just texted boo to say I'm coming for you. So we're ready for a or we're on the prowl Everything's good. No, this is the best I would say. I mean, this is my first year with the team,

but reading up on their history, you know, they went to the World Series in the early 2010s, and I think there was some liveliness around the team, but for a group of 20-somethings to be such underdogs and do what they've done. It's a little bit like watching an NCAA tournament upset over the course of a month. You know, like there's so many opportunities

for interrupt of mojo in a baseball season. And they lost a couple of Tarek Scoobles, starts down the stretch and they still bounce back. I mean, it is one of the great resiliency stories I've ever seen. Can you explain to us whether this season or when this season was something that felt or started to feel special?

Because I don't know that it felt this way two months ago. If a month and a half ago you you said, boy, this tiger's season is special, people would have gotten an MRI. You know, like that, that's how that would have felt. There's like people would have said you are crazy for thinking that they were 800 or 500 in August. It's well documented. I think there are a couple of turning points.

One, they went to Williamsport and beat the Yankees and they were just kind of around all these kids. And there are a couple turning points. One, they went to Williamsport and beat the Yankees and they were just kind of around all these kids. And there's an energy in that the team has pointed to that as a possibility. You know, a couple home run robberies by Parker Meadows and centerfield that kind of flipped games. He hit a grand slam with two out and two strikes in the ninth inning of a game against the Padres that looked like it was going to be a sweep. But you

could list I you know, I don't have my scorebook with me, but if I opened it, there's like 10 games that you could say that's the turning point. I mean, Javi Baez, he had a home run off the Mariners' closer, Andres Munoz, in the ninth, the bottom of the eighth inning of a game at Comerica Park.

It was the first run that Munoz gave up in like two months. It was August, late August, and the 4th of July was the last time he had given up a run. So there are just all these weird things that have happened. And the way I felt is like, you know how people kind of turn to religion in moments like this in baseball? Whoever's watching above just has had the Tigers on the TV all the time like all the buttons are getting pressed there's no like yeah I missed that one I was watching the Angels and the A's like whoever's up

there just has had the Tigers on for two months do I have this number right it August 11th the Tigers playoff chance was point two percent not not two percent point two percent no that's correct point point two percent was the tigers plot off chances like it's basically the odds of you getting your car wallet back if you lose it on the subway in new york

yeah that's not so you so you come from the White Sox. You were doing White Sox baseball. How have you experienced watching that from where you are that the White Sox lost more games than you know, any team this century? Yeah, I only really watched when I had to when they were playing the Tigers. This has been this has been such an entertaining run with the Tigers. Part of it, they swept the White Sox

in the Sox ballpark back in August and that kinda catapulted the Tigers too. It's, everybody wants to make it weird and it was weird at the beginning of the season. Thanks to Rob Manfred for opening the Tigers at the White Sox this year. But I think the best thing that has come from my departure other than this great season

and the marvelous people that are around is that AJ, Tiger's manager, has fodder for every time we go to Shrug. He says to me, whoa, they're gonna be like five more video tributes? How many more video tributes do you got? Like, they're gonna show you six times this time? AJ, get a hobby.

You're headed here into what is a really fun and chaotic time. What would you tell us about what is presently happening in Detroit around this baseball team? I would say that anybody I run into who has any idea who I am is yelling yelling go Tigers very loudly. And I think the other thing that comes from this Tigers run is the teams in the state, Pistons at this point, they're rebuilding. But you think about what the Lions did last year,

so close to the Super Bowl, the Red Wings were one pulled bully okay from making the playoffs and a late season surge. It is a sports town that's kind of cresting right now. And so what's happening around is I think, I think, and I don't wanna put words in everybody's mouth, but I think Detroit and its resurgence has coincided with the sports. I think there's a lot of pride, a ton of civic pride. It is essentially love the hat, love it, love it.

Great, fantastic. Go greedy tides. Love it. So I just think this is what we want sports to be on some level, you know, without being a documentarian. But I do think this team, everybody has a place. Like Andy Ibanez doesn't play against right-handed pitchers. And he pinch hits against a lefty and Josh Hader

and triples home three runs and the Tigers win. It's everybody, it's every person, it's everybody in the town. It's what you want out of sports. Jason, you know, as a broadcaster, I'm sure you're familiar with, sometimes you've got the support of people that you really don't want their support.

And you don't know this, but I'm letting you know right now, Jeremy Tashay, who just showed off his hat, you don't want his support. What? He's bad news, he's bad luck. Oh, dude! If you want the Tigers to continue to be successful, if you want this magical run to continue,

you need to cut off any association with that character right there, because all he does is bring bad luck. 800 winning percentage since I hopped on the bandwagon, and that was just a few weeks ago, but ever since I did, it has been the joy of my life, Jason, to watch your calls during the stretch of the regular season as they went on

to clinch the postseason, because this group is insane. To have 10 rookies on your 26-man roster, to have an entire payroll of your 26 man roster to have an entire payroll of your postseason make less than the reliever you scored off of yesterday and Josh Hader to be able to win that game. This is one of the coolest baseball stories I've ever seen and it's really like as much as I love the game. This is reinvigorated my passion for baseball in a way that has been really

special. This about him, Jason. Listen to me. Disavow him right now. Look, the heat went a lot when I'm on the sideline, okay? I feel like we need to call Pass and get Elmbo in here to, like, mediate this whole deal. I will ask, Jeremy, like, when did you hop on? That literally might be the turning point of the season. A follow-up? It was a little late. It was right ahead of that Kansas City Royals sweep.

So it was right ahead of the sweep against Kansas City with a couple weeks left to go. It was already starting. I'd seen some stats about how good the team had been since Javi Baez was out. And I was shocked by that and then just downloaded myself on everything that I could about this team. And just think it's unbelievable the way that it's basically Tarek Scoobel and quote unquote a bunch of guys and the way that all of them have come in and succeeded. You know, Jackson Job, this top prospect comes in yesterday when a rookie gets put in that spot and then doesn't succeed. Normally everything falls apart, but nope, next man up and the relievers get it done.

Ibanez gets it done. This team is special, Jason. I love this. Yeah, hop on whenever you want. Tigers bandwagon's open, guys. I'll see you in Detroit, I'll see you there. Maybe the company will send me, or? You comin'?

Okay, just stop. Stop talking. Stop. Five minutes, Dan. Your enthusiasm is too much for even him. You mentioned his calls, and his calls are exceptional. This is being called, the call against the Rays raises being called the call of the year in baseball let's play this sound for jason benet

so it's a A city that doesn't care about the odds has a baseball team to match. I don't think it was the call of the year. It was a good call. Did you know that you had nailed it though, Jason? You knew you had nailed it, you laid out for the sound like the professional that you are. Dan, what I really appreciate is that you granted the final call of the clincher, the call of the year.

You're saying that one's second place, and I just appreciate your understanding of the full catalog of my work, that you wouldn't put that one number one. It's very kind of you. You are a special broadcaster. Everybody says this about you. You also have a relaxed way about you and something that he does, Stugatz, is something that we enjoy very much where if people offer him a word to say during the broadcast, he will find a way to use that word in the broadcast let's play this for the audience here of a bunch of

Tigers players requesting words that they just want Benetti to throw into the broadcast wherever it is that he can find to throw them into the broadcast one word for Jason Benetti to use on the broadcast tonight? Funky Town. You can get transported to Funky Town very quickly. Yellowtail. Like you're not down there eating yellowtail. Tango. Well Dan, it takes two to tango.

Fortnite. And here comes noted Fortnite player, Colt Keith. Birdie. Little Birdie told me that you are a Fortnite player. Pineapples. We got pineapples for brains. What do you got? Flabbergasted.

At what pitch were you officially flabbergasted? Perpendicular. His bat can be perpendicular to the ground. Beauty. You're at Comerica Park and she is a beauty. Moist. Humid, moist atmosphere. Can we get you to use some phrases from us?

Can we do that? Are we allowed to do that or is that too self-involved? No, that's fine I I would just request that you make it a little more difficult that you have me do it in a different voice or something Oh, wow Wow is gonna go with Magnum PI In Higgins is voice Higgins is voice. Can you do that? Oh, no, he asked for it. Can you? No, can't can would you would you settle for the Sports Center voiceover guy or Sean McDonough? Oh, you do some impersonation?

Well, let's hear him. Let's hear him first, okay? Let's hear the Sports Center guy. Sports Center brought to you by Applebee's new Lucky Charms and Grusted Salmon. Wow. Oh my God. Damn. Are you him? That's very good right there. Now McDonough.

Delighted to have you with J. Billis Bill Raftery the two XL egos here at the XL Center. I'm Sean McDonough. I mean if he's gonna do that he's making it even better. Yeah that's pretty good. You don't have more of that in your arsenal, do you? That's staggering. I would love to hear the Sports Center guy. What about Droopy Dog? Do you remember Droopy Dog? Yes, let's hear it.

Yeah, let's hear it. Lime sad. Hello, you happy people. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. He's taking the request. The Tigers are going to the world theory. Magnum PI, is that a request?

You're making a formal request to Jason Benetti? Yeah, because Magnum PI was a big tiger. I wish I could. Big tiger, they have a Magnum PI day at the ballpark at America park. I did not know this until I took the job, but like thousands of people dress up as Magnum PI.I. What an amazing day that must be. Look at Jessica, look how happy she is.

I gotta be there. I'm thinking of the good road trip. Jessica just became a Detroit Tigers fan. So which voice do we want from Benetti here because I love the Sports Center voice. I vote Sports Center as well. It's so good. My God.

Let's come up with some more words for him. He wants a degree of difficulty on this, a little harder than, I thought he might have some difficulty with moist. That one would be tricky, but no problem at all with moist. I was fearful of moist as well. You have to kind of finesse that one

because it's the most unacceptable word in English language. It's got, yeah, it's the most unacceptable word in English language. It's got some undertones. It's got some sensual undertones to it. But you just made it weather related and you copped out really is what you did. I did. I did. No, that was a ripcord. That was a total ripcord. Any words from the shipping container that you would like? The man is sitting here and he is willing to give you the ability to do this. Do not let this opportunity pass

without taking advantage of it. Jason, can you mix in D-Melo? Oh, that's good in Spanish. D-Melo, D-Melo if you've got a Hispanic player. Ash Shaw McDonough. Ha ha ha. Two and two, D-Melo. Oh my God.

I love you, man. Jason, thank you for being on with us sir. We do appreciate the time and appreciate the work. Thank you. I want to be clear. I love Sean by the way. Sometimes I do think people think I'm making fun of him. I think he's fantastic. I think he's wonderful. Groopy dog. He's alright. Thank you Jason. Thanks guys. Hey folks, it's Mike. From defending your favorite team after a bad loss to obsessively checking your fantasy lineups, football fandom is bigger than just Sundays. Miller Lite knows the passion that comes with rooting for your team. Like the debate that sparked in 1975. Great taste vs. less filling.

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