The Amazing Detroit Tigers And Other Baseball Talk

[00:00:00] Listen, I'm not sure who, but somebody let the Tigers get hot.

[00:00:07] Following is a presentation of Hobson Media. Woo-hoo!

[00:00:20] This is the Church Pew Sports Podcast, featuring a group of pastors delivering bombastic takes on sports, life and faith.

[00:00:31] Take a knee.

[00:00:32] Man, it's hard to break us now. It's hard to break us. As a matter of fact, you ain't gonna do it.

[00:00:36] Lend an ear.

[00:00:37] These are some of the best questions I've had, I have to tell you that straight up.

[00:00:40] As the Church Pew Sports Podcast begins.

[00:00:43] It's great father-son bonding.

[00:00:46] Kegs and eggs in football, let's go.

[00:00:48] Hey! Hey!

[00:00:50] And with that we welcome you into Church Pew Sports. It's great to have you with us as we sit down to record late Sunday evening on October 6th.

[00:00:58] Who knows when you're listening to this, but as we sit down to record, football of course is fully engulfed.

[00:01:05] But so are the baseball playoffs.

[00:01:07] And our focus on this episode will largely focus on the sport of baseball because these are exciting times,

[00:01:15] especially if you happen to be a fan like a couple of us on this podcast of the Detroit Tigers.

[00:01:19] Good to have you along.

[00:01:20] Thank you for subscribing to the podcast and hopefully sharing the link with other sports fans in your world.

[00:01:28] And by the way, that's a sincere request.

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[00:01:46] We're Bill Hobson here along with, as always, Pastor Paul Miller, who was in his Minneapolis headquarters.

[00:01:53] And Paul, we've got a couple of guys with us tonight who I think could accurately be described as seam heads and take that as a compliment.

[00:02:01] Seam heads. That sounds like a baseball thing.

[00:02:04] It is. It is. There's seams on a baseball.

[00:02:06] I don't know if you're aware that they have seams. You hear like two seamer, four seamer. Okay.

[00:02:10] Yeah, it's good.

[00:02:13] Well, we're kind of excited in these parts.

[00:02:14] So let me welcome in to the program who's been with us a few times here in the last few weeks is David Collins, who is, he's all about all the sports,

[00:02:23] especially when they have the word Detroit in them.

[00:02:26] He's got his Red Wings shirt on and is a big Tiger fan as well.

[00:02:30] And it's been a while, I think since we've had Scott Holmgren with us, but he's kind of our, our kind of our insider baseball insider here on Church Pew Sports.

[00:02:39] That's what we pay him for at least.

[00:02:40] I mean, he's, he's well compensated for that role.

[00:02:44] Uh, and let me just start off with a question for David.

[00:02:48] And that is how crazy is it that our Detroit Tigers are still alive in this season that most people thought was ending in early August?

[00:02:59] Yeah, it's been one of the most amazing seasons in Detroit sports history.

[00:03:04] I mean, you have the 06 Tigers, you have the 04 Pistons, but this team was not expected to do anything.

[00:03:12] And for them to defy the odds, they were a 0.2% to make the playoffs in like August 10th.

[00:03:24] And they did it like they, they have the youngest team in baseball and they did it.

[00:03:30] And they just keep finding ways to do it.

[00:03:34] Like, I don't know what to say about this team, except I can't doubt them.

[00:03:40] I think they're just going to keep doing it.

[00:03:42] So, um, I I'm in love with this squad.

[00:03:46] Um, you know, I said for years, AJ Hinch was that guy and he's been that guy.

[00:03:52] So I don't know what to say.

[00:03:55] I'm just, I'm, I'm thrilled that we're even here.

[00:03:59] Scooble has to go do his thing tomorrow.

[00:04:01] We're literally on the brink right now, but who's going to do their thing other than Scooble?

[00:04:08] I can't, I don't know who.

[00:04:11] So anyways, I'm just very, very happy for what's going on with this team.

[00:04:16] Well, I don't think there's any doubt that this is a special team cat catching lightning in a box.

[00:04:22] A.J. Hinch, as David mentioned, is the manager of the Tigers.

[00:04:26] Um, I was not on the same page as David when they hired him.

[00:04:29] I really didn't want any part of A.J. Hinch.

[00:04:32] I thought that he was tainted from the cheating scandal in Houston.

[00:04:35] Um, he has done a fantastic job with these kids.

[00:04:40] Many of whom had not set foot on a major league field until this crazy run.

[00:04:45] They finished the season, uh, up until their clinching day, uh, 31 and 11.

[00:04:51] Here's a little moment, uh, play by play from Jason Benetti from Valley Sports Detroit.

[00:04:57] The moment the Tigers clinched the postseason.

[00:05:01] Fly ball right center field.

[00:05:21] It is actually happening.

[00:05:24] And I don't know, for me, it felt like it was perhaps longer than 10 years, uh, in the locker room afterwards as they got ready to spray the champagne.

[00:05:32] Here's A.J. Hinch to his team.

[00:05:34] Special teams do special things.

[00:05:36] And we got an opportunity to do something special.

[00:05:39] We ask a lot out of you guys all year.

[00:05:42] All year.

[00:05:42] We've asked a lot out of you guys to do something for the guy next to you.

[00:05:47] And when I asked you in, in the middle of the season, remember I asked you what kind of team do you want to be?

[00:05:52] I guess you wanted to be a playoff team.

[00:05:57] Special teams, special things, and they are having a special time.

[00:06:01] Let me bring in Scott Holmgren.

[00:06:03] Even if you're not a Tiger fan, I would have to think Scott, this story has been really attractive and appealing throughout all of baseball.

[00:06:12] Yeah, absolutely, Bill.

[00:06:14] You know, the thing about baseball is that there's a great equalizer, the sense that any team can beat any other team on any given night.

[00:06:21] I mean, the fact that the 121 loss, White Sox ended the season with, with several wins, you know, it just goes to show anybody can do anything.

[00:06:31] And I recall back in April when we had our conversation with Mr. Shepard, the, the Detroit broadcaster.

[00:06:38] I remember I asked him specifically about A.J. Hinch, and I asked him about his thoughts for him on taking over this team.

[00:06:46] And his response was incredibly eloquent in terms of he knows how to motivate a team.

[00:06:52] And so I just kind of sat on that comment all season long as I was watching the Tigers scuffle in the AL Central.

[00:06:59] And believe me, there was a time there were every team but the White Sox looked like they would get to the playoffs, right?

[00:07:05] The twins, the twins were hanging tough for a while, but Detroit seemed to climb its way back up like, like they were saying right there at 2.2%.

[00:07:14] And miraculously, they were able to push their way into the postseason.

[00:07:17] And it just shows that for me, more than any other sport, baseball teams benefit from this thing called momentum.

[00:07:25] And it's, it's hard to, to, to quantify or necessarily measure over time because some teams have it and some teams don't.

[00:07:32] We saw last year, the Diamondbacks seem to have that momentum.

[00:07:36] And as a wildcard team, it carried them all the way into the world series.

[00:07:40] Can that happen for the Tigers?

[00:07:43] Possibly.

[00:07:44] They have a pretty tall order.

[00:07:45] Like we just said, tomorrow it's going to be on, on Mr.

[00:07:48] School will to see if he can carry the team on his shoulders.

[00:07:51] But if anybody can, I think he can.

[00:07:53] So I just think it's great for the sport because in the National League, we're seeing something very similar with these heart attack Mets, New York Mets fans.

[00:08:03] They have been shaking up the National League as well and taking it to Philly, who, who's kind of my pick for the National League to get to the World Series.

[00:08:11] So it's great for the sport of baseball.

[00:08:13] You're seeing high impact, high intensity, exciting playoff baseball in October as it should be.

[00:08:20] Yeah.

[00:08:21] So here's my question, guys.

[00:08:22] How does that happen in a sport where the playoff format is a best of seven, right?

[00:08:26] Like if it was a one and done kind of thing, I could see how momentum or even like in hockey, I suppose,

[00:08:32] where a goaltender can get hot, get on a heater and just carry a team.

[00:08:37] But baseball doesn't feel to me like it should be that much dependent on momentum, but clearly seems to be.

[00:08:46] So help me understand.

[00:08:47] Well, I'll go first.

[00:08:48] I'll just point out for the for the Mets and the third baseman Vientos.

[00:08:54] He has been on an absolute tear.

[00:08:55] He had two to run home runs today.

[00:08:57] I think the way it works for momentum is you will get it around one or two key players who just get hot.

[00:09:03] Like I remember back in the late 80s, there was a the playoff run between the Giants and my Cubs back when Will Clark and Mark Grace, right?

[00:09:12] Two first baseman on those teams.

[00:09:13] And they essentially carried their teams into those playoffs and had monster series.

[00:09:18] I think in a series, it really depends on those one or two players who just elevate things to the neck to the highest level.

[00:09:25] And it's the grandest stage for baseball.

[00:09:28] I mean, this is where all eyes are focused on you, right?

[00:09:31] The entire season, there's there's 15 other there's 14 other games going on any given day.

[00:09:36] But today, there's just one or two.

[00:09:38] And those guys know how to do it.

[00:09:40] You can ride the shoulders of a strong player who's overperforming and he'll carry you through a series, whether it's three games, five games or seven.

[00:09:47] Yeah. And David, let me throw a question at you because we hear over the through the years, we'll hear like this is a seasoned veteran team, whatever it happens to be.

[00:09:56] And they're poised. They're prepared.

[00:09:59] They're unshakable as they get into the the tense axiom of the of the playoffs.

[00:10:06] And then there's the Tigers.

[00:10:08] They're not experienced.

[00:10:10] They're not veterans.

[00:10:11] They're I don't know if they're just too young to know better.

[00:10:15] Which of that which end of that scale makes you a little more confident as a fan?

[00:10:20] Like you've got the kids who are just.

[00:10:22] She was just young and dumb and ready to go play or the seasoned veterans who have been there before, seen that done that and will probably do it again.

[00:10:32] This is my thing with with baseball and with the concept of momentum as well.

[00:10:38] Like we're talking about Pablo Sandoval in 2012 had one of the worst seasons we've ever seen.

[00:10:44] And then he went off in the World Series against the Tigers.

[00:10:48] Of course, you have Kwan for the for the Guardians.

[00:10:54] He's been terrible lately, but he went off against us in game one of this playoff series.

[00:11:01] So I look at it. I'm like.

[00:11:03] It's it's not a matter of momentum in the sense that your team's building it.

[00:11:09] It's a matter of who's the next guy that's going to do the next thing.

[00:11:12] And when I look at the Tigers, like you said, they're kind of this amalgamation of guys that can do it, guys that have done it.

[00:11:24] You have Parker Meadows robbing a home run.

[00:11:26] You have Spencer Torkelson randomly hitting a home run like you've you've got a group of guys that doesn't seem to understand the situation that they're in.

[00:11:37] But to your question, I would rather have the guys that have been there and done it before.

[00:11:43] And that's why the Jose Ramirez and the Josh Naylor and those guys from Cleveland, the class say they scare me because they're not a team trying to beat us in a three or a four game series in the middle of June.

[00:11:59] They're guys that have been there and done that.

[00:12:01] And that's a little bit frightening.

[00:12:03] Yeah. And Scott, you know, baseball made this adjustment to the wildcard round because it was a one and done playoff up until this year, I believe, because all too often the lower seated team was coming in and catching the lightning in a bottle for that one day and knocking out the higher seated team.

[00:12:24] And so baseball, in all of its wisdom and all of its desire to build audience and to build drama decided it would go to a three game best of three series.

[00:12:32] And all three games would be played at the host stadium of the of the team with the higher seed.

[00:12:38] So that, you know, the Tigers went down to Houston and just won two in a row.

[00:12:43] And the AL Central, by the way, is still doing pretty well here in the postseason.

[00:12:47] So did baseball get it right, not from a revenue standpoint, but from a competitive standpoint by extending the wildcard round?

[00:12:57] Absolutely. I would say it was a it was a combination of two things.

[00:13:01] First, it's the competitive part, right?

[00:13:03] It makes it it gives it, you know, easier to for teams to battle in that series.

[00:13:11] And it's because the sport is essentially a series sport.

[00:13:16] That's what the teams are used to. That's the way the managers are used to manage.

[00:13:19] That's what fans like to see. I mean, you can tune in any time throughout the summer and you hear about the rubber game of the series because both teams have won one game.

[00:13:26] Who's going to win the series? So even those, quote unquote, meaningless games in the dog days of summer, you're still fighting to win the series.

[00:13:34] And that's what teams are pushing for. So for dedicated baseball fans, that's the that's their language.

[00:13:40] That's the the lexicon they use in the way they talk about it.

[00:13:43] It makes perfect sense that every part of the playoff should be that way, not just the the World Series with a big monster seven game series or the NLCS or ALCS with five games.

[00:13:54] But the the wildcard itself should be three. And I think they've gotten perfectly right with that.

[00:14:00] It forces teams to also rely on their pitching staffs.

[00:14:04] And baseball is built around the pitching staff, not just the one superstar.

[00:14:08] So, again, if you can't structure it and sort of set up your starters to go that first game.

[00:14:13] Well, I'm going to back up. We don't have any start. We have one star.

[00:14:17] Well, and I think that's why they're a little bit on the brink. Right.

[00:14:20] They in game one, the Tigers realized, oh, you know, do we have the depth?

[00:14:25] So it's truly a team sport in that sense that you have to there's the art and the strategy behind setting up your starters.

[00:14:31] I mean, do you do an opener? Right.

[00:14:33] You pull a guy from the bullpen, throw him out there for the first inning and then run out a series of bullpen guys.

[00:14:39] Right. So it really complicates and makes the game so much more fascinating from a strategy standpoint.

[00:14:45] I would also add there, though, I think the Tigers are changing the way that you look at your rotation, because the numbers say that, like, if you do a starter and you go bullpen oriented, that's actually potentially better.

[00:15:04] Because lineups are only seeing each pitcher one time through the order, et cetera.

[00:15:10] And then you can still throw a long reliever in there if you need to.

[00:15:13] Plus, you don't have to pay three, four, five starting pitchers.

[00:15:18] So it's like they're kind of winning in the margins in that capacity because they're not necessarily looking at it the same way every other team looks at it.

[00:15:28] And so now it's like A.J. Hinch said, you have Scooble and a bunch of chaos.

[00:15:34] But if you have Scooble and like another guy and then a bunch of chaos, like you might potentially be looking at a team that's breaking all the rules.

[00:15:43] And I think you're going to see a lot of teams going forward doing something similar to this because I think they're breaking the mold on that.

[00:15:52] And imagine being a...

[00:15:54] They're sort of taking what the Rays did, you know, a few years ago.

[00:15:58] And you have the question about you pull the guy too early because it's the third time through the order.

[00:16:02] But you're absolutely right.

[00:16:04] I love that point.

[00:16:05] That was excellent.

[00:16:06] Imagine being a starting pitcher your whole life and you're on the front edge just about of signing that legacy-defining contract.

[00:16:16] Because you've been toiling for three years.

[00:16:18] You had a great year.

[00:16:19] Now your agent's telling you this is the big one, big guy.

[00:16:22] This is the big one.

[00:16:23] We're going to get you over to Detroit.

[00:16:25] Right.

[00:16:26] And now you're no longer a starter.

[00:16:31] You might pitch an inning in a third.

[00:16:34] We were at the Tiger game a couple weeks ago on a Friday night.

[00:16:39] And the starting pitcher, through the first five batters, struck out four of them, allowed nobody to reach base.

[00:16:45] And while I'm like turning my head to grab some pizza in the suite there, I look around and I'm like, wait, the guy who started was a right-hander.

[00:16:53] Was I not paying attention?

[00:16:55] There's a left-hander in there now.

[00:16:57] I just pulled him.

[00:16:57] Just made the change because that's kind of the way it's going.

[00:17:02] It's trending now, at least in Detroit.

[00:17:04] So, Paul, when you think about great pitchers over the years, whether it's the old Verlander, Scherzer, Pfister, Kenny Rock, that lineup,

[00:17:13] or whether it's the Atlanta Braves lineup of Glavin and Maddox and Smoltz and all these guys,

[00:17:21] are we going to be missing that kind of legacy pitching staff if the Tigers show success with this approach?

[00:17:32] Man, you've got three guys you can ask that question to, Bill,

[00:17:35] and you are directing it to the guy who's the least qualified to answer.

[00:17:39] I just wanted to wake you up.

[00:17:41] I'm fine, man.

[00:17:43] I am fine.

[00:17:44] I might have the TV on because I have CZ Lamb and Justin Fields going to my fantasy tonight.

[00:17:50] All right.

[00:17:51] So, David, are we at the end of the era of the stud starting pitching staff, the rotation that's three or four pitchers deep?

[00:17:57] I don't think we're at the end of it, but it's similar to when Stan Van Gundy.

[00:18:04] He took the Detroit Fishman's job because we had Andre Drummond, and when he took that job,

[00:18:11] that was the same year that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson went off and shot a bunch of three-pointers.

[00:18:18] That was a specific era.

[00:18:20] He chose the right job based on what was going on at the time, but then everything changed.

[00:18:26] The math changed.

[00:18:27] Three-pointers became more important.

[00:18:29] Like, all that stuff changed.

[00:18:31] What's happening right now to me is that beginning of the change where now why pay?

[00:18:39] You know, I mean, you get one or two guys.

[00:18:42] Like, Scoogle's going to be $300 million, whatever.

[00:18:45] But why pay all that money for starters when, if you get a bunch of these Will Vests and Holtons and you get these guys,

[00:18:57] they can come in and be what you need them to be for two, three, five innings.

[00:19:02] You find a Cater Montero.

[00:19:04] You find a, you know, whatever it is, Maeda, like, that can fill that role.

[00:19:09] It's changing the math on the sport.

[00:19:12] And I think that that's what's most critical about what's going on right now.

[00:19:17] It's changing the entire tone of what normal teams do.

[00:19:22] And I think you're going to see a lot of teams do that.

[00:19:24] But I don't think that means you don't still pay for the one or two starters that lead your rotation.

[00:19:31] I think right now you still have one or two of those guys, and then you have just a mix of guys that can fill innings.

[00:19:41] Yeah, it's an interesting thing because, number one, baseball is such a long season, and injuries are so unpredictable.

[00:19:50] You can have that guy who's a workhorse, and he goes down with Tommy John, and he's out the whole season, and you're kind of stuck, right?

[00:19:58] Then you're forced to adapt and adjust.

[00:20:00] So I think what the pitching stabs and what you're talking about, Bill, this idea of is the model changing, I think the model has to change.

[00:20:09] The manager has to be adept enough, and the general manager has to be adept enough to play whatever cards he's dealt in the moment.

[00:20:18] The baseball season will change drastically.

[00:20:21] Look at the White Sox, right?

[00:20:23] You could say they had a starter in crochet, and he was like their one all-star that was left.

[00:20:28] He's no Scoble, but hey, they tried.

[00:20:31] They had to mix and match their back-end guys and the one or two off guys.

[00:20:34] They were nowhere near close to being competitive.

[00:20:37] So the model is only as good as the talent, and the talent is only good as the roster,

[00:20:42] and it can also only be as good as the farm system is deep,

[00:20:46] and that's a whole other discussion about how baseball teams are constructing their farm systems

[00:20:51] and how they're bringing that talent up to the big leagues.

[00:20:53] And fortunately, Detroit, again, you keep using that word, catching lightning in a bottle.

[00:20:58] That happens moment by moment in a playoff series.

[00:21:00] That also happens throughout the long turn of the marathon of a season and the roster construction

[00:21:07] and how they're trying to keep that pipeline filled with good, young, controllable talent.

[00:21:13] Well, and maybe I'm limiting my viewpoint to what I'm seeing here in Detroit,

[00:21:19] but it seems like these days if your toolbox has in it a 98-mile-per-hour four-seamer

[00:21:26] and one other really effective pitch, it used to be that the thought was,

[00:21:31] well, he's going to be an eighth or ninth-inning guy.

[00:21:33] That's it.

[00:21:35] Now, at least in the A.J. Hinch model, you might get the start.

[00:21:41] You might pitch an inning and a half.

[00:21:43] You might pitch two innings.

[00:21:45] That's it, because only seeing you one time is going to be really tough on batters to figure out,

[00:21:52] and as was the case in the Houston series in the clinching game two,

[00:21:56] no Houston batter saw any Detroit pitcher twice.

[00:22:01] They used seven pitchers in the game.

[00:22:03] And, by the way, it didn't take very long because it was between innings they were making the changes, right?

[00:22:07] So it was quite a unique approach to all of it.

[00:22:11] It does help in that particular case.

[00:22:14] It seemed like all the guys threw strikes, and the defense was really strong behind them.

[00:22:19] But I don't know.

[00:22:20] I mean, I kind of enjoy it.

[00:22:22] I guarantee you, David, that Major League Baseball ownership really enjoys it as well

[00:22:28] because now they're looking at this financial side of this.

[00:22:31] I don't have to pay a guy 300 mil for 10 years and hope that he doesn't have to have two Chami John surgeries?

[00:22:38] There's some appeal to the Moneyball approach of all this.

[00:22:42] No, you're 100% right, and that's why I think this model is going to appeal to a lot of teams.

[00:22:48] I think with the Tigers, it's interesting because they have all their young pitchers paid for,

[00:22:57] like Reese Olsen and Cater Montero.

[00:22:59] These guys aren't expecting a lot of money,

[00:23:02] but they're also put as the second guy to come into a game to pitch for four or five innings.

[00:23:09] So it's like they've redefined the model where they save money,

[00:23:14] but they're also changing the way that you approach games.

[00:23:18] Like you said, you play a team, they face seven pitchers,

[00:23:22] and not one batter sees the same pitcher twice.

[00:23:25] We lost that game, to be fair, but it's kind of the new model of the way things are going,

[00:23:31] and I think we're going to find other teams seeking the wins in the margins

[00:23:38] the way the Tigers are currently doing it right now.

[00:23:40] So what does all that do to the quality of the game?

[00:23:46] I mean, to me, I think it's hard to say because when Scooble comes out on the mound every five days,

[00:23:55] I just love it.

[00:23:57] I watch every pitch.

[00:23:58] I think Scooble's the best.

[00:24:00] But if it's getting you wins in the end, isn't that the end, like the result you're looking for?

[00:24:07] Yeah, that's a great question, Paul, because I think at some point during the season,

[00:24:13] it was kind of floated out there by the commissioner that Major League Baseball might be considering

[00:24:19] making minimum requirements for starters.

[00:24:22] I think that was a conversation.

[00:24:24] I can't quote the source, but there was discussion that a starter would have to go

[00:24:28] at least five or six innings unless they gave up four runs.

[00:24:32] They've done it for relievers already.

[00:24:34] Yeah.

[00:24:34] Yeah.

[00:24:34] Right.

[00:24:35] I have to face a minimum of three batters.

[00:24:37] Right.

[00:24:37] So baseball is very keen on this because there's been lots of conversation about losing the

[00:24:44] draw power of seeing a Verlander versus a Kershaw.

[00:24:48] Right.

[00:24:49] It's like who's going to see some guy out of the bullpen against some other guy out of

[00:24:53] the bullpen?

[00:24:53] Nobody knows either of them.

[00:24:55] And it's kind of, you know, that marquee matchup of a quarterback versus quarterback

[00:24:59] showdown for a football game.

[00:25:01] Baseball's attuned to that.

[00:25:03] So you have the strategy part, which I totally get.

[00:25:05] Right.

[00:25:06] You only see a guy once as he goes through the order.

[00:25:08] And so it's always a different arm slot or a different motion or delivery that's coming

[00:25:12] at you.

[00:25:12] But baseball is also trying to tap into the personalities of baseball and who the players

[00:25:18] are and who are the marquee players, the star players.

[00:25:20] So it's a delicate balance when you've got your pitchers and you've got these guys who can

[00:25:24] go out and throw, you know, five, six, seven innings.

[00:25:28] Those are the guys they want to feature.

[00:25:29] So it's a, it's a, it's going to be a challenge for major league baseball to figure out what

[00:25:33] they want to emphasize.

[00:25:34] Do we emphasize the names?

[00:25:36] Do we emphasize the competitiveness, the quality of the sport?

[00:25:40] Do we emphasize the wins?

[00:25:42] Right.

[00:25:42] And all those things pull on different levers.

[00:25:44] It'll be really interesting.

[00:25:46] And David, we have, um, we have some folks maybe listening who kind of grabbed on to baseball

[00:25:51] once it got to the post season.

[00:25:53] And you, you briefly mentioned that there are some rules regarding the minimum number

[00:25:59] of batters that relievers are required to face.

[00:26:02] It used to be, you could throw one pitch and here comes the manager out again.

[00:26:06] Here's another pitching change.

[00:26:07] There's another commercial break and baseball in its efforts to speed up the game.

[00:26:11] The game has literally changed some of the permissions for pitching changes.

[00:26:16] Why don't you fill everybody in on what it is right now?

[00:26:19] Yeah.

[00:26:20] So, I mean, they did certain things like, like not letting you do the, the, the, uh, where

[00:26:26] you, where you move the, the, uh, second or shortstop over to right field, the shift they've, they

[00:26:34] limited that, which is like in football.

[00:26:36] If you said you can't do too high safeties, like they, they, they've just changed the game,

[00:26:41] but yeah, you have to pitch to three batters.

[00:26:44] If you come in as a reliever, like there, there's so many things that they've done to try to,

[00:26:51] and the pitch clock.

[00:26:52] So basically the pitcher, the batter has to be ready with eight seconds on the clock to

[00:26:57] hit.

[00:26:58] The pitcher has to be like throw within 20 seconds from when the, the last at bat ended.

[00:27:04] Like it's, it's, it's fun and it's fascinating and it's changed.

[00:27:08] The game times used to be like three hours and 40 minutes.

[00:27:11] Now it's like two hours and 18 minutes.

[00:27:13] Like it's unbelievably crazy how much the game has become more enjoyable, enjoyable to watch

[00:27:20] because you're watching something that can end in two hours or two and a half hours.

[00:27:25] You're not watching something that's going to be four hours long.

[00:27:29] Um, but yeah, I mean, to me, like the, the, the things that they can do with the pitcher

[00:27:36] and the, and the shift and all this stuff makes the game more enjoyable.

[00:27:40] But in the end, yeah, I mean, I, I, I don't, I don't know.

[00:27:45] Like I, I, I just enjoy the game the way that they've made it.

[00:27:50] Yeah.

[00:27:51] So as you're talking, I'm thinking like, okay, I'm not, I'm not a baseball purist the way

[00:27:57] you guys might be.

[00:27:58] I know Scott is.

[00:27:59] Um, but I think about how I feel every time I watch the NFL lineup for a kickoff and I

[00:28:04] go, what, what is this?

[00:28:06] It's like, it changed the essence of a part of the essence of the game.

[00:28:11] And I would say in the case of the new NFL kickoff rules, I'm not so sure it's for the

[00:28:15] better.

[00:28:16] Um, but it sounds like you guys are saying that a lot of these changes are making the game

[00:28:20] more watchable, therefore more interesting.

[00:28:25] Um, I'm really hoping that the playoffs reach up and grab me.

[00:28:29] It's been fun to hear all the excitement around the tigers.

[00:28:32] Um, cause I don't know where else I'm going to, I'm going to throw my loyalties.

[00:28:35] Right.

[00:28:36] Um, if they get eliminated.

[00:28:38] So, so Scott, what would you do with that whole basket of rule changes?

[00:28:43] If you would, you leave the whole basket as it is, or is there something that you would

[00:28:48] tweak?

[00:28:48] Like maybe the ghost runner and extra innings or something like that?

[00:28:52] Yeah, no, I, I think, um, the analogy I would use is it's kind of like tightening the shot

[00:28:57] group, right?

[00:28:57] When you, when you're, when you've got a bunch of shots on a target, you just want to make

[00:29:01] it tighter and tighter and tighter.

[00:29:03] And the rules over time have, have brought in, um, a cohesion to the sport that I think

[00:29:09] had been lacking because of, of just sort of delays.

[00:29:12] Right.

[00:29:13] Uh, at first I was not a fan of the three batter minimum, which is what a reliever must,

[00:29:17] must face.

[00:29:18] Now I've begun to appreciate more because it's not just the fact that the bat, that the

[00:29:23] pitcher has to be in there for three batters.

[00:29:24] The manager has to think which three batters and has to think about his lefty, righty matchups

[00:29:30] and how that works in favorable, um, you know, uh, matchups.

[00:29:34] He's got to think three moves ahead.

[00:29:35] So it becomes even a greater chess game at a managerial level.

[00:29:39] I think for people who see baseball more than just what happens on the field, Paul,

[00:29:44] right?

[00:29:44] So you use that analogy of lining up for a kickoff.

[00:29:47] If you were to just take that play out of the game altogether, does that really affect

[00:29:51] what the head coach has to do in terms of preparing for, uh, how he sets up his offense to prepare

[00:29:57] for the next drive or how he prepares his defense to stop the next drive?

[00:30:00] Not really.

[00:30:01] You could just remove that play altogether, which I think is your point, right?

[00:30:04] Like what's the purpose of it?

[00:30:05] But in baseball, if this little piece is in here, this is going to have a domino effect

[00:30:10] on the rest of that inning and the next several innings, as you're trying to match up your,

[00:30:14] your pitchers against the opponents.

[00:30:16] Like I was just watching the Mets Phillies game not too long ago this afternoon.

[00:30:21] And, uh, the Mets manager brought in Edwin Diaz, the closer, right?

[00:30:24] The guy who's supposed to shut it down in the ninth inning.

[00:30:27] He was brought in the seventh inning.

[00:30:29] And we're all like, why the heck is he coming in then?

[00:30:31] Well, it's because he was facing the top of the order.

[00:30:33] It was going to be Schwarber and then, uh, um, uh, Bryce Harper and, uh, Trey Turner.

[00:30:40] And so he brought them into face their best hitters.

[00:30:43] And it blew me away.

[00:30:44] I'm like, what a great move.

[00:30:46] Unfortunately, it sort of backfired on him, which is the best part of baseball because

[00:30:49] it is so unpredictable.

[00:30:51] The percentages weigh against all that every time.

[00:30:55] So the complexities I think are captured in that tightening of the shot group.

[00:30:59] I will jump in and back you up only because I have a soundbite from the game winner of

[00:31:03] that particular game.

[00:31:05] And after being Bronx cheered by Philly fans for not swinging at a ball out of the strike

[00:31:12] zone, that's Nick Castellanos.

[00:31:14] He, uh, so he goes from being, you know, kind of booed by his own people to this.

[00:31:20] One-two pitch to Castellanos.

[00:31:23] In the left field.

[00:31:24] Down the line.

[00:31:25] It's a fair ball.

[00:31:26] And the Phillies have tied the series back to Queens.

[00:31:31] One apiece.

[00:31:32] Castellanos the hero.

[00:31:35] He's now the hero.

[00:31:36] And that's how quickly fates can change here in the postseason.

[00:31:39] It, it really is that emotional run.

[00:31:42] Uh, maybe baseball lends itself to that.

[00:31:45] Uh, maybe a little bit more than other sports.

[00:31:47] I guess, I guess I don't know.

[00:31:48] It depends on the fan base and in Philly, everything's an emotional run.

[00:31:51] It's the lead changes, Bill.

[00:31:53] Like last night, the Royals Yankees game.

[00:31:55] So there's our AL central again.

[00:31:57] The Royals Yankees game.

[00:31:58] Lead changed every single inning.

[00:32:00] It was one to nothing.

[00:32:01] Then it was one to two.

[00:32:02] Then it was three to two.

[00:32:03] Then it was four to three.

[00:32:04] Then it was five.

[00:32:05] It's insane.

[00:32:06] The title wave that just goes back and forth and back and forth.

[00:32:09] And every pitch is like the final out of the world series.

[00:32:13] This is only the division series.

[00:32:15] And it's been one of the best postseasons I've ever experienced.

[00:32:18] And on top of that, like when you get down a run in baseball,

[00:32:22] you feel like it's this mountain.

[00:32:24] You have to climb to get back into the game.

[00:32:26] It's like, you need two, three hits.

[00:32:29] So that's what makes baseball so fun is it's like, oh, we're down three.

[00:32:33] There's this game's over.

[00:32:35] And then all of a sudden in the eighth inning, you get two guys on.

[00:32:37] And one swing of the bat, you're back in the game.

[00:32:41] So that's what makes the game so incredible to me is you have that.

[00:32:46] And then you have the fans, like you're saying, Bill, with Castellanos.

[00:32:50] Like you hate him all of a sudden.

[00:32:52] And then you love him.

[00:32:53] Andy Banez comes in the other day for the Tigers, hits a three-run,

[00:32:58] bases loaded, double down the line.

[00:33:00] And it's like everybody's going insane.

[00:33:02] Well, it's a perfect time to bring in what I think is important for Churchview Sports,

[00:33:10] which is a public service announcement.

[00:33:12] The propensity in the playoffs is for fans to jump on a bandwagon,

[00:33:17] jump off a bandwagon, you know,

[00:33:19] grab the ride with the most popular hot story going on.

[00:33:23] Here in Detroit, there's a very well-known law firm

[00:33:26] that wants to help with the potential dangers of bandwagon jumping.

[00:33:31] This is our public service announcement to all of you.

[00:33:35] Jumping on a baseball bandwagon can cause serious injuries.

[00:33:38] If you or a loved one were injured in Detroit,

[00:33:40] while jumping on the baseball bandwagon,

[00:33:42] you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

[00:33:45] Jumping on the bandwagon can cause serious injuries,

[00:33:48] including whiplash, hallucination, and disorientation.

[00:33:51] Fighting and winning for victims of baseball bandwagon injuries,

[00:33:55] that's the Bernstein Advantage.

[00:33:57] And remember, there's plenty of room on the bandwagon.

[00:33:59] You just need to be careful while jumping on.

[00:34:02] That's just so good.

[00:34:03] That's awesome.

[00:34:04] That's great marketing.

[00:34:06] Finally, a good ad from a law firm.

[00:34:07] Okay, wrapping up baseball, David,

[00:34:10] your prediction to the Tigers get past Cleveland?

[00:34:14] I'm going to say yes, because I believe in this team,

[00:34:18] and I shouldn't, but I do.

[00:34:20] So I love them.

[00:34:21] You know, I'm proud of you, D,

[00:34:23] because normally there's a little more pessimism in your predictions.

[00:34:28] It really depends on Scoobal tomorrow.

[00:34:30] If we win Scoobal Day, we're winning this series.

[00:34:34] A little surprise, by the way,

[00:34:36] here's my amateur take, that he didn't pitch game one.

[00:34:38] Because of the staggered schedule for all of this,

[00:34:41] he could go game one, then they had a day off today,

[00:34:44] so game two isn't until tomorrow.

[00:34:45] And then they have another day off for games three and four back in Detroit.

[00:34:50] It doesn't have any sense that we didn't start him game one

[00:34:52] unless his cramps or his wrist are hurting him,

[00:34:56] and they needed to give him an extra day.

[00:34:58] But like A.J. Hinch said, well, if you start him game two,

[00:35:02] you can still start him game five.

[00:35:04] I'm like, what?

[00:35:04] Yeah, but you can do that.

[00:35:05] We might not get a game five.

[00:35:07] Thank you.

[00:35:07] Start him game one and game four.

[00:35:09] Thank you.

[00:35:10] I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that.

[00:35:12] And Scott, my last baseball question to you,

[00:35:14] just kind of in the big playoff picture,

[00:35:17] which teams that are still in it

[00:35:19] are most likely to make it all the way to the World Series?

[00:35:24] I think in the National League,

[00:35:26] I think the Phillies are the clear favorites.

[00:35:29] I think they've got the strongest lineup top to bottom.

[00:35:31] I mean, you can't bat an eyebrow at Otani,

[00:35:34] Betts, and Freeman at the top of that Dodger lineup.

[00:35:37] But after that, it gets a little thin.

[00:35:39] I think the Phillies can just kill anybody

[00:35:41] with anybody in that lineup.

[00:35:42] And they're starting pitching.

[00:35:44] And relief pitching is very solid.

[00:35:46] So I really think the Phillies

[00:35:47] will be the National League champions.

[00:35:49] And in the American League,

[00:35:51] I would love to jump on that bandwagon.

[00:35:54] I'd kick everybody off and get the law firm

[00:35:56] all the business they need.

[00:35:57] But I've got to say the Yankees are just too tough.

[00:36:01] The Yankees, that juggernaut with Judge and Soto,

[00:36:05] it's just too much to ask for.

[00:36:07] And their bullpen is really good.

[00:36:09] So unfortunately, I think it's going to be Yankees-Phillies.

[00:36:11] But that's going to be a World Series

[00:36:12] I cannot wait to watch.

[00:36:14] Yeah, good stuff.

[00:36:15] All right, Paul, we're going to wake you up

[00:36:16] and bring you back into this discussion now

[00:36:18] with a little round of something we call

[00:36:20] Say What?

[00:36:21] Say What?

[00:36:23] Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably.

[00:36:27] The lesson is never try.

[00:36:30] Mattel or something.

[00:36:31] Car.

[00:36:32] Huh?

[00:36:32] What?

[00:36:33] Car.

[00:36:33] I mean, listen, we're talking about practice.

[00:36:37] Weaseling out of things is important to learn.

[00:36:39] It's what separates us from the animals.

[00:36:42] Except the weasel.

[00:36:42] I'm sorry about this afternoon.

[00:36:45] That's what he said.

[00:36:46] Say what?

[00:36:48] Say what?

[00:36:49] Okay, gentlemen.

[00:36:50] This has been a while.

[00:36:52] It's been a while, yes.

[00:36:54] So for David and Scott, here's how this works.

[00:36:57] I have three quotes from recent weeks here

[00:37:04] in press conferences.

[00:37:06] And I happen to think they're all three great.

[00:37:08] So we're going to play all three of them.

[00:37:09] And then you guys get to decide who this week's winner is.

[00:37:11] That's all there is.

[00:37:12] There's no wrong answer.

[00:37:15] Actually, I think all three of them are really good.

[00:37:17] The first one is the head coach of Florida State, Mike Norvell.

[00:37:21] I think they're like 0-4 now maybe or 0-5 now.

[00:37:26] I'm not really sure.

[00:37:27] But he was doing his press conference last week after losing, I think,

[00:37:32] their fourth game in a row.

[00:37:33] And I just think this is so awesome that this happened while he was on the

[00:37:37] microphone and how he tried to play through.

[00:37:40] But, you know, as we continue to work and continue to pour into each other

[00:37:45] and the opportunity we have.

[00:37:46] All right.

[00:37:47] Thank you, Coach.

[00:37:47] You want to leave the building by the nearest accent?

[00:37:50] You want to have to be serious.

[00:37:51] So if you couldn't hear that very well,

[00:37:53] literally the fire alarm being set off in the building

[00:37:56] as he's giving a press conference after a dumpster fire of a game

[00:38:00] for Florida State.

[00:38:02] Yeah, he just keeps talking.

[00:38:04] And then the person comes over to the PA and says,

[00:38:07] leave the building now.

[00:38:08] And I couldn't tell if they were talking to him or to everyone

[00:38:12] or whatever it was.

[00:38:13] Okay.

[00:38:13] Our next one is Matt LeFleur, the coach of the Packers,

[00:38:16] two weeks ago when Malik Willis was playing because Jordan Love was hurt.

[00:38:23] There was kind of an odd play where Willis should have thrown the ball,

[00:38:27] should have thrown a pass, and he didn't.

[00:38:30] And they asked the head coach about it afterwards.

[00:38:33] Yeah.

[00:38:34] I asked Malik why he didn't throw the ball on that third down,

[00:38:38] and he told me that Josh threw up on the ball.

[00:38:40] I was like, that's the first time I've ever heard that.

[00:38:44] Matter of fact, the official came over to me,

[00:38:47] Sean came over to me and said, you know,

[00:38:50] we saw your center thrown up on the ball.

[00:38:52] Do you want us to take him out next time?

[00:38:53] I said, absolutely.

[00:38:54] Please do that because, I mean,

[00:38:56] you're talking about a critical situation and it's third down,

[00:39:00] and I've never had a throw with bombing on a football.

[00:39:03] So I don't know.

[00:39:04] I don't think Malik probably didn't appreciate that.

[00:39:08] Probably not.

[00:39:09] He probably didn't appreciate that,

[00:39:12] and I think the receiver would probably have really not appreciated that either.

[00:39:16] Okay.

[00:39:16] That's our number two.

[00:39:17] And then our third one is Matt Rule,

[00:39:19] who's my new favorite college football coach.

[00:39:22] And this was after Nebraska played Colorado,

[00:39:25] and he was asked about whether he prefers night games or daytime kickoffs.

[00:39:31] It's up to me.

[00:39:31] We play at nine o'clock in the morning, you know,

[00:39:33] kegs and eggs and football.

[00:39:35] Let's go.

[00:39:36] Kegs and eggs and football.

[00:39:39] Let's go.

[00:39:40] Okay.

[00:39:40] So we have Mike Norvell being told to evacuate the building.

[00:39:43] We have Matt LeFleur trying to explain what it would be like to throw a forward pass

[00:39:48] with vomit on the football,

[00:39:50] and we have kegs and eggs and football from Matt Rule.

[00:39:52] Who is this week's winner?

[00:39:55] Go ahead, Scott.

[00:39:56] I'm going to go with the first one because I can only guess that this is a precursor

[00:40:00] for a Florida State game where they actually pull the fire alarm during a game

[00:40:04] because it's going to be so bad,

[00:40:06] and the entire thing is going to clear out.

[00:40:10] And they say, yep, it happened in the press conference,

[00:40:12] so we're going with Mike Norvell.

[00:40:13] There you go.

[00:40:15] As much as I love kegs and eggs and football,

[00:40:18] I'm going to go with number two because I've seen that highlight,

[00:40:23] and the dude is standing over the football.

[00:40:25] It just vomits his entire guts out onto the thing before the play.

[00:40:30] I can't imagine wanting to, like, even touch it at that point.

[00:40:37] You know, the funny thing about the say what choices this week

[00:40:41] is that Paul has been so excited about all three of them.

[00:40:44] They're two weeks old, but when we were talking with Armin Kataian last week,

[00:40:48] we just ran out of time for all of it.

[00:40:49] So we've been holding onto these for a while.

[00:40:51] Paul, did the right winner come out of this?

[00:40:54] Because I think you're very partial to kegs and eggs in football.

[00:40:56] Well, kegs and eggs in football, man.

[00:41:00] I'm so glad we have it in the bumper at the front end of the podcast now.

[00:41:05] But all three of these are winners.

[00:41:07] I'm so glad we finally got to play them for everybody.

[00:41:09] All right.

[00:41:10] We're going to have some fun blowing off some steam.

[00:41:12] It's time for Holy Discontent.

[00:41:17] It's time to blow off some steam.

[00:41:20] Get it off your chest.

[00:41:21] Rant about what's most bothering you.

[00:41:23] I got a lot of problems with you people.

[00:41:26] Now you're going to hear about it.

[00:41:27] It's time for Holy Discontent.

[00:41:31] David Collins, you can lead us off.

[00:41:35] Yeah.

[00:41:35] My Holy Discontent is Michigan's inability to find a quarterback.

[00:41:40] Wow.

[00:41:40] Wow.

[00:41:41] It is.

[00:41:43] Listen, Tuttle came in, gave us something for a drive or two.

[00:41:46] But like the reality is, what are we doing in NIL?

[00:41:50] Like, what are we doing?

[00:41:51] These other schools can do it and we can't do it.

[00:41:54] It bothers me.

[00:41:56] So my Holy Discontent lies with Michigan football

[00:41:59] and their inability to find a quarterback.

[00:42:02] And receivers.

[00:42:03] And receivers, by the way.

[00:42:05] So skill positions on offense is kind of what you're looking at for the most part.

[00:42:08] Good.

[00:42:09] Okay.

[00:42:10] Hey, Scott Holmgren, what's your Holy Discontent?

[00:42:14] Well, I would have to say mine was this year, the artist formerly known as Oakland A's.

[00:42:20] So the baseball team in the city of Oakland, which has been just a perpetual joke all season

[00:42:25] long to the point where the fans would chant sell the team and had t-shirts printed up

[00:42:31] and everything.

[00:42:32] And, you know, I watched the very last game in Oakland.

[00:42:34] And that was kind of fun as a baseball fan because they had all the old highlights from,

[00:42:39] you know, the 70s team with Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter and Raleigh Fingers all

[00:42:43] the way to the Bash Brothers, right?

[00:42:45] With McGuire and Canseco.

[00:42:47] And it was great to be reminiscing and all that.

[00:42:50] And Mark Kotze, the manager, came out and had a wonderful, heartfelt, you know, thanks to the fans and all that.

[00:42:56] It was really a big, warm hug moment.

[00:42:58] And then they left the building and I sat there thinking, this story's not over.

[00:43:03] This headache is just going to keep perpetuating because they get to go to Sacramento next.

[00:43:08] And like, is Las Vegas even going to take him as a team?

[00:43:11] Like, the story's not over.

[00:43:13] It's just going to keep going on and on and on.

[00:43:15] And I just am so frustrated with it.

[00:43:17] I wish they would solve the problem properly.

[00:43:20] Well, they can't force somebody to sell a team, which I think is the primary issue there in Oakland.

[00:43:27] But yeah, there's a lot of people just shaking their heads like, what are we doing here?

[00:43:30] This fan base would love to have a team that they could embrace, but they clearly do not have an owner that they can embrace.

[00:43:38] Paul, your holy discontent.

[00:43:39] Yeah, okay.

[00:43:40] So my holy discontent is with ESPN and their increasingly obvious bias towards the SEC.

[00:43:50] So they had this great headline in their write-up of the college football weekend.

[00:43:54] Sluggish day for the top teams.

[00:43:56] And they decided to talk about Ohio State.

[00:43:58] And here's what ESPN had to say.

[00:44:00] Number three, Ohio State had little trouble swatting away Iowa 35-7.

[00:44:04] Still, it had to feel like a loss for the Buckeyes.

[00:44:08] Okay, so how about instead of saying it had to feel like a loss for the Buckeyes, how about you talk about the number one team, the number four team, the number nine, number 10, number 11, all the ranked teams that actually lost.

[00:44:23] Those felt like a loss.

[00:44:25] This past weekend.

[00:44:26] Or I think the guy's point that he was trying to make was they gave up a touchdown to Iowa.

[00:44:31] Well, if you had actually watched the game, you would know that Ohio State was up 35-0 halfway through the third quarter.

[00:44:38] And they pulled the starters.

[00:44:40] And Kirk Ferentz left his starters in for Iowa because he wasn't real happy with how they were playing.

[00:44:45] And they scored a garbage-time touchdown.

[00:44:48] So maybe before you write about the games, you should actually watch the games.

[00:44:54] I just think that might make you a little better at your job.

[00:44:57] It was really – I mean, you sent that to me this afternoon.

[00:45:00] I'm like, wait, that says what?

[00:45:02] Yeah.

[00:45:03] This is crazy.

[00:45:04] My Holy Discontent focuses on the wonderful folks at Diamond Sports, which is owned by the Sinclair Broadcasting Company.

[00:45:12] They are the ones who own several of the regional sports networks called RSNs all around the country, including here in Michigan, Valley Sports, Detroit.

[00:45:21] But like I said, they're in regions all over the country.

[00:45:23] And earlier – or I guess last week – they let all of the RSNs know during the playoffs, they made a decision that they no longer want to carry any other teams except for the Atlanta Braves.

[00:45:40] And all the other teams will have to go find a new broadcast home for next year.

[00:45:45] Seriously?

[00:45:46] Yeah, they dropped this bomb, by the way, while the Tigers were doing their thing on Valley Sports Detroit and bringing in some of the highest ratings for that network since they were last like in contention in the World Series back during the Verlander days.

[00:46:02] So this genius of a company who has driven a very profitable enterprise into bankruptcy somehow has handed to it on a silver platter this red-hot team that, at least in this particular RSN here in Detroit, is a gold mine from an advertising standpoint.

[00:46:26] And they've just made this declaration.

[00:46:28] And they've just made this declaration.

[00:46:29] But in 2025, they don't want any teams except for Atlanta.

[00:46:32] And by the way, Atlanta's like, we're not really sure we want to play with you either.

[00:46:38] Meanwhile, there's a little television show on Valley Sports Detroit that I have a personal interest in, and we aren't sure yet what's going to happen next year.

[00:46:46] Because, and write this down, kids, all of you who are keeping score at home, everything Sinclair touches turns to fecal matter.

[00:46:57] There you go.

[00:46:57] Okay, that's my holy discontent.

[00:46:59] I'm going to leave it at that.

[00:47:00] Can I add something to what Paul said?

[00:47:03] Yeah.

[00:47:03] Because he sent me that same link that had the Ohio State thing, and it said, had little trouble swatting away Iowa, still had to feel like a loss for the Buckeyes.

[00:47:14] But then Georgia, who won 31-13, it says, responded to last week's loss to Alabama with an entirely reasonable 31-13 win over Auburn.

[00:47:28] Like, the way that they word that, like, Ohio State was like, that's absurd.

[00:47:35] Okay, whatever, they won it.

[00:47:37] But then, like, with Georgia, it's like, it's entirely reasonable that they struggle a little bit.

[00:47:41] It doesn't make any sense.

[00:47:45] Yeah, that is some really, really solid writing.

[00:47:48] I think it was the New York Times if I didn't know better.

[00:47:52] As we round things out today, you know, every week here on Church Pew Sports, we feature a three-minute message to close things out.

[00:48:00] And this week, I got a note from a friend who has been on the podcast, I think, once before.

[00:48:06] His name is Wes Munsell.

[00:48:07] He's a buddy of mine from way back in high school.

[00:48:09] And Wes and his wife were missionaries in Haiti.

[00:48:13] They're back stateside now.

[00:48:15] And Wes is actually a truck driver.

[00:48:18] He drives semis all over the country.

[00:48:20] This guy puts in miles that I can't even fathom.

[00:48:22] And he said, hey, I've got a three-minute message, if you guys don't mind.

[00:48:26] And I said, hey, man, record it and send it in.

[00:48:29] So that's how we're going to end the podcast today.

[00:48:31] And I love this idea, Paul, that maybe on a more regular basis, we could invite our listeners,

[00:48:37] if they feel so inspired, to provide the three-minute message.

[00:48:42] And they can just record it and send it in to us.

[00:48:45] So having said all that, there's your setup.

[00:48:47] And we'll kind of let that take us out here at the end of the program, because Wes goes about four minutes on the three-minute message.

[00:48:53] Hey, he's a preacher.

[00:48:54] What are you going to do?

[00:48:55] I mean, that's just how it works.

[00:48:56] But very grateful for that.

[00:48:58] So I'm going to wrap things up on our end by saying to all of you, thanks for listening.

[00:49:02] And please help share the link so we can have more folks tune in to Church Pew Sports.

[00:49:07] To David and Scott, thank you so much.

[00:49:09] And Paul, we'll see you again soon.

[00:49:11] It's time for the three-minute message.

[00:49:15] Homer, I'd like you to remember Matthew 7, 26.

[00:49:18] The foolish man who built his house on sand.

[00:49:22] And you remember Matthew 21, 17.

[00:49:28] And he left them and went out of the city into Bethany and he lodged there?

[00:49:34] Yeah.

[00:49:35] Think about it.

[00:49:38] My wife and I spent a couple years in Haiti as missionaries.

[00:49:42] But these days, I spend my time behind the wheel, driving a semi-truck.

[00:49:46] As a truck driver, I tend to take in sports through the radio and on podcasts and other forms of digital communication more than actually watching it on TV.

[00:49:57] For some reason, they don't like it if I'm watching the Tigers while I'm driving down the highway.

[00:50:02] Go figure.

[00:50:02] That's one reason why I'm so thankful for Church Pew Sports.

[00:50:06] And I look forward to the podcast pretty much every week.

[00:50:09] I think you guys do a great job of helping us remember that although sports is fun, there's more to life.

[00:50:15] And it's good to remember the big picture sometimes.

[00:50:18] So I was listening to Dan Dickerson and Bobby Scales on the Tigers radio broadcast the other day

[00:50:24] when the Tigers finished off the Houston Astros in the wildcard round of the AL playoffs.

[00:50:30] In the post-game wrap-up, I heard Bobby say these words to describe the upstart Tigers.

[00:50:36] They need some playoff experience, don't they?

[00:50:39] They don't have enough experience.

[00:50:41] They don't know any better.

[00:50:42] They're too young.

[00:50:43] Yeah, right.

[00:50:45] Tell these Tigers that.

[00:50:47] Now, I don't know how far the Tigers will go in the ALDS, but as I was thinking about those words later,

[00:50:53] a couple passages of Scripture came to mind that seemed to fit with them.

[00:50:58] 1 Timothy 4.12 says this,

[00:51:15] Everyone thought that the Tigers were sending up the white flag when they were on the selling end of the trade deadline

[00:51:20] and brought up a bunch of young guys from Toledo to finish out another losing season.

[00:51:25] But what everyone found out was that these young players had a lot more to give than just finishing out the season.

[00:51:32] They've shown a certain amount of grit and determination that has propelled them into a level of success

[00:51:37] that we haven't seen in Tigers baseball in over a decade.

[00:51:41] And Proverbs 27.17 says this,

[00:51:45] As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

[00:51:50] Why have these young Tigers been able to achieve that success?

[00:51:54] It's because everyone in the organization, from the ownership to the front office, the scouts, and the coaching staff,

[00:52:01] saw something special in this bunch of nobodies,

[00:52:03] and they worked hard to help them achieve the greatness that they could see.

[00:52:08] And they put them into situations that allowed them to be successful

[00:52:12] and to grow that talent and God-given ability into something special.

[00:52:18] Now let's turn the corner into matters of faith.

[00:52:21] To a new believer, or even to the person who might be just looking into what this Christianity thing is all about,

[00:52:28] when a person comes to faith in Christ,

[00:52:31] sometimes they can feel a little bit like that new guy that gets called up from Toledo.

[00:52:36] He's learning the ropes of how to get things done in the big leagues.

[00:52:40] But Paul tells Timothy that he shouldn't feel like he is less than because he's young,

[00:52:46] and a new believer shouldn't feel less than someone who has been a long-time believer either.

[00:52:52] Sure, there's a learning curve, and mistakes will be made, but don't quit.

[00:52:57] Stick with it, and display that grit, and be an example to everyone around you

[00:53:02] of the difference that Christ has made in your life.

[00:53:06] And now for those of us who are long-time believers, iron sharpens iron.

[00:53:12] In baseball, they'd probably call it coaching.

[00:53:16] In business or in other life situations, they might call it mentoring.

[00:53:20] But in spiritual matters, it's known as discipleship.

[00:53:25] Older believers taking younger believers under their wings, so to speak,

[00:53:30] and helping them to achieve the spiritual greatness that God has called them to.

[00:53:35] So the challenge this week is twofold.

[00:53:38] First, be an example to everyone around you of the difference that God has made in your life.

[00:53:44] And second, look for those opportunities to help guide others along in their faith, whatever level they may be.

[00:53:53] I hope you all have a great week, and go Tigers!

[00:53:56] All right, thanks so much to Wes Munsell for sending in the three-minute message.

[00:54:00] We'd invite all of you to do the same thing.

[00:54:02] Thanks again to Scott and David for being part of the program today,

[00:54:05] and always good to have you with us to talk sports.

[00:54:09] Don't forget churchpewsports.com is the website,

[00:54:12] and if you'd like to reach out to us, you can do it right through there,

[00:54:15] or you'll find us on both Facebook and X.

[00:54:18] Have a great week.

[00:54:19] We'll talk to you again next time on Church Pew Sports.