The Knee Jerks Podcast - Eno, Nick and Big Al The Knee Jerks - Greg Eno, Nick Milanovich and Al Beaton

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
This week we welcome Keith Gave back to the show. Keith is a former Detroit Red Wings beat writer for the Free Press and the author of several hockey books, which can be found on Amazon. 
Keith joins us for a Red Wings season post mortem.  We discuss the state of GM Steve Yzerman's Yzerplan and how the team narrowly missed the playoffs, what changes we could see on the roster, who stepped up during the failed playoff push and who disappeared, what size contract offers RFAs Mortiz Seider and Lucas Raymond will receive, and if there will be a "playoffs or bust" mandate for head coach Derek Lalonde next season.
We also take a look back at Red Wings history and discuss just how close Yzerman was to being traded to Ottawa in 1994.
In the second half of the show, our topics include:
Lions QB Jared Goff has a silly belief that the Detroit media is somehow overly negative. Good thing he doesn't play in Philly or New York.
The Pistons are going to shake up the front office by hiring a new President of Basketball Operations. More than the front office needs shaking up.
Stan Van Gundy may have been a bad GM for the Pistons, but he is not wrong in his negative assessment of the team's young core. To be honest, the core is just one player - Cade Cunningham. The rest of the roster can be blown up.
There a pitching injury pandemic in MLB, as elbows are exploding everywhere. What could be causing it? Is there a solution?
The Tigers are playing solid baseball. The .565 win % has them 3rd in the AL Central, behind the Guardians and overachieving Royals. 
The Tigers pitching has been exceptional. The offense hasn't been, but Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter have been playing damn well. 
Thanks to the Tigers push for players to have the ability to play multiple positions, AJ Hinch is practicing what he preaches by playing the entire roster.
We also play Greg's Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the Week! 
Programing note: In two weeks long-time friend of the show Dave Mersery returns. He joins us to spread the word about former Atlanta Braves outfielder Gary Cooper, who is ONE DAY short of qualifying for an MLB pension.
You can sign a petition here. A GoFundMe page has also been established to help Cooper.
Subscribe to The Knee Jerks Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Radio Public, Gaana, and YouTube. 
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Nick's TwitterX: @NickMilanovich
Greg's TwitterX: @GregEno
Greg's Substack: Out of Bounds 
Al's BlueSky: @Albeat

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
Nick is off this week, so it's an old school show with Greg and Big Al talking all things Detroit sports. 
Topics include: 
After a horrific March, the Red Wings find themselves in dogfight with 3 other teams for the final wild card.
If the season ended today, the Red Wings would be the playoff 8 seed.  This franchise NEEDS to make the playoffs.
The Wings have enough offense to win the wild card. Can't say the same about the defense and goal tending. It was a question mark going into the season, and remains that way.
If Alex Lyon or James Reimer could stand on their head in goal for a few games, it would help the Wings playoff chances immensely.
Want to sell Patrick Kane on signing a new contract with Detroit? Best way to do so is make the damn post season. 
A weird Pistons season got weirder thanks to journeyman guard Malachi Flynn. It's more than likely Flynn and his career 5.2 PPG won't be a Piston next season. But he managed to have a game for the ages versus the Hawks - 50 points on 18/25 shooting. Of course, the Pistons lost. Of course, Flynn was 0/12 from the floor in his next game. 
Chauncey Billups, the Pistons "Mr. Big Shot," was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, joining Ben Wallace. The Going to Work Pistons were supposedly built with no stars, but ended up with two hall of fame players.
The old baseball saying says, "You can't win a championship in April, but you can lose it." After years of being out of contention by Memorial Day (or to be blunt, by May 1) due to horrible starts, the Tigers got off to their fastest start in years at 6-1. They have come back down to earth somewhat, but their pitching has been encouraging. The bats, on the other hand...
We also play Greg's Birthday Game! 
Subscribe to The Knee Jerks Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Radio Public, Gaana, and YouTube. 
Visit us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter aka X
Nick's TwitterX: @NickMilanovich
Greg's TwitterX: @GregEno
Greg's Substack: Out of Bounds 
Al's BlueSky: @Albeat

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
This week, our special guest is John J. Miller, author of “The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved
Football.” 
We discuss John's book, which takes a deep dive into the violent, nearly lawless days of late 19th century football and the public outcry which almost led to the sport being banned. But thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt’s intervention, who loved the sport, football was saved. That led to the creation of the NCAA, the innovation of
the forward pass, a vital collaboration between Walter Camp, Charles W. Eliot, John Heisman and others, and, ultimately, the creation of a new
American pastime. 
You can find "The Big Scum" on Amazon!
In the second half of the show, our topics include:
In a wild first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Greg Kampe's Oakland Golden Grizzlies became America's sweethearts by beating Kentucky and was an OT away from making the Sweet Sixteen. Tom Izzo and Michigan State once again lost to their nemesis, North Carolina. And the Michigan Wolverines hired a new basketball coach, Florida Atlantic's Dusty May.
Shohei Ohtani's interpreter ran up $4.5 million in illegal gambling debt to a bookie, which was somehow paid via wire transfer, possibly with Ohtani's involvement. Ohtani claims the money was stolen, but the whole thing stinks to high heaven.
The Tigers will not start the season with Matt Manning in the rotation, who was sent to Triple-A Toledo.
Javy Baez is having a horrific spring at the plate.
The Lions cut Cam Sutton one day after they learned last season's starting corner had a warrant out for his arrest for domestic battery by strangulation. Sutton has gone silent and police have been unable to contact him.
As Dylan Larkin goes, so go the Red Wings. A month ago, the Red Wings were 10 points up in the wild card race and all but a playoff lock. But Larkin's injury sent the Wings into a 3+ week tailspin which currently has them one point out of playoff positioning.
Thanks to injuries, incompetence, a mismatched roster, and all round bad play, it's getting very, very ugly with the Pistons. 
We also play Greg's Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the Week! 
Subscribe to The Knee Jerks Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Radio Public, Gaana, and YouTube. 
Visit us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter aka X
Nick's TwitterX: @NickMilanovich
Greg's TwitterX: @GregEno
Greg's Substack: Out of Bounds 
Al's BlueSky: @Albeat

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
This week we welcome back an old friend of the show, EMU head football coach Chris Creighton. 
Coach joins us after the first day of spring practice to talk all things Eastern Michigan Eagles, including the status of the roster, the latest renovations to Rynearson Stadium and the soon to be christened "Maxx Crosby Field," the Creighton coaching tree (including new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, who was coach's first offensive coordinator at EMU) and the overall state of college football. 
Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties we had to end this week's show after the interview. But we'll be back in two weeks with author John Miller, who joins us to discuss football history. His book,  "The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football" covers the deadly violence that overwhelmed 19th century football,  and how a sitting President intervened by pushing reform to save the game. 
Subscribe to The Knee Jerks Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Radio Public, and YouTube. 
Visit us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter aka X
Nick's TwitterX: @NickMilanovich
Greg's TwitterX: @GregEno
Greg's Substack: Out of Bounds 
Al's BlueSky: @Albeat

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
This week we cover the Detroit sports gamut - Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers and Lions. 
Topics include: 
It was a crazy night in Chicago as the return of  Patrick Kane and his game winning OT goal overshadowed the jersey retirement of Chris Chelios.
The Red Wings are are flying high, owners of a 5 game winning streak and well situated to not only make the playoffs, but actually make some post season noise. 
When does Patrick Kane get extended? 
Will GM Steve Yzerman make a splash or look to add minor depth pieces at the trade deadline?
When in the HELL was the NBA All-Star Game? Whatever it was, it wasn't basketball. 
If the players don't care about the All-Star weekend, why should fans?
In making his game winning shot versus the Pistons, the Magics Paolo Banchero shuffled his feet, moved his pivot foot and literally walked, yet no call. What we once called traveling is now called a "gather step." Does anyone know what traveling is anymore?
The Tigers signed veteran Gio Urshela to plug their gaping maw of a roster hole at 3rd base. 
The NFL salary cap unexpectedly skyrocketed an additional $30 million, up to $255 million. Some Lions are about to get PAID.
Lions GM Brad Holmes off season team building philosophy come down to filling lineup holes via free agency, while using the draft to acquire the best player available, regardless of position. 
We also play Greg's Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the Week! 
Programming notes: In two weeks we welcome back Eastern Michigan's head football coach Chris Creighton to the show. Coach joins us yearly to talk all things EMU and about his life as a G5 football coach.
In one month, author John Miller joins us to discuss football history. His book, "The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football" covers the deadly violence that overwhelmed 19th century football,  and how a sitting President intervened by pushing reform to save the game. 
Subscribe to The Knee Jerks Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Radio Public, and YouTube. 
Visit us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter aka X
Nick's TwitterX: @NickMilanovich
Greg's TwitterX: @GregEno
Greg's Substack: Out of Bounds 
Al's BlueSky: @Albeat

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
This week we welcome back our NBA stats guru Siddy Hall to discuss all things Pistons...as bad as they may be. Siddy opines on the record losing streak, the release of Killian Hayes, GM Troy Weaver's blowing up the roster to obtain a "bunch of guys" at the trade deadline, Monty Williams odd rotations which buried Jalen Ivey for far too long, and in general express genuine disappointment in the state of the team. 
Siddy also talks big picture NBA, as the court is to tilted heavily toward offense, pace, and high scoring What can be done, if anything, to help defenses? 
In the second half of the show, topics include:
Lions GM Brad Holmes held his season ending press conference. He kept receipts, asking for accountability while calling out local media who criticized his excellent (in hindsight) drafts.
Did Ben Johnson burn bridges in turning down the Commanders job? Did the Commanders start a smear campaign to cover their asses after their supposed number 1 target declined their advances?
All-Pro center Frank Ragnow hinted at retirement before announcing he would return in 2024. But expect more and more players to move on from the NFL after their first or second contract. 
The NFL Awards need to make clear what criteria they should be based upon. For example, the NFL Coach of the Year should be renamed the NFL Team Exceeded Expectations Award. 
The Red Wings are in position to make a serious run at the playoffs. Their upcoming 4 game western swing will go a long way in determining if GM Steve Yzerman is a buyer or seller at the trade deadline.
We also play Greg's Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the Week! 
Programming note: We are moving our bi-weekly recording sessions to Monday nights. You can expect new episodes of The Knee Jerks Podcast to go live late Monday evenings in both audio and video.
Big Al also apologizes for his camera freezing, looks as if hes going webcam shopping this week.
Subscribe to The Knee Jerks Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Radio Public, and YouTube. 
Visit us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter aka X
Nick's TwitterX: @NickMilanovich
Greg's TwitterX: @GregEno
Greg's Substack: Out of Bounds 
Al's BlueSky: @Albeat