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 cover the gamut in Detroit sports, discussing the Detroit Lions' Chicken Little fanbase, ask if the Detroit Pistons will ever win again, ponder where Patrick Kane fits in the Detroit Red Wings' Yzerplan, praise the Detroit Tigers for locking down AJ Hinch and determine if thinking both Florida State got screwed and Alabama deserved to be be in the college football playoff can be true at the same time. 
Our topics include:
The Lions keep winning, even as the games get uglier and uglier. 
Is the sky falling? Some in Detroit's fanbase believe so...despite the Lions owning the 3rd overall seed in the NFC at 9-3 overall, and are 8-2 in their last 10, 4-1 in their last 5. 
So the sky is not falling! But there are reasons to be concerned, specifically in regard to the Lions' porous pass defense. 
As for the playoffs? They are still a lock.
The Lions have a very young core, and have a front office having shown they can consistently nail the draft. Honestly, they aren't yet ready to win a Super Bowl. But next year...
In midst of a franchise record 17 game losing streak, the Pistons are reportedly "reluctant to hit the panic button."  What, exactly, would that be?  Frankly, firing GM Troy Weaver wouldn't be a panic move, it would just be deserved.
Does Steve Yzerman think he has finally built a playoff roster? He hasn't outright said so, but he all but confirmed it by signing Patrick Kane.
Dylan Larkin has stepped up his game and is playing like a top line center. 
Jim Leyland was deservedly voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And his 8 seasons managing the Tigers is what put him over the top.
The Tigers locked down manager AJ Hinch, inking him to a long-term contact extension. Works for us!
College football has devolved into utter chaos. 
Will Jim Harbaugh be on the Michigan Wolverines sideline next September, or will he be four hours west with the Chicago Bears in Soldier Field?
FSU got screwed. Sideways. 
We also play Greg's Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the Week!
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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!
We'd like to apologize for the longer than expected hiatus. As it tends to do, life got in the way. But The Knee Jerks are back with a jam packed episode featuring two guests.
Our first guest is author Keith Gave, retired Detroit Red Wings beat writer and columnist for the Detroit Free Press. 
In a wide raging discussion, Keith talks about his days on the Wings beat, going from bottom feeders to winning the Stanley Cup. We learn more about the infamous Goose Loonies incident, Keith talks about his role in helping Petr Klima to defect, what it was like covering the rise of the Russian Five, lets us know the current status of Vladimir Konstantinov, talks how the job of the beat writer has changed for the worse, gives his thoughts on Steve Yzerman as the team's GM and more. 
Keith's books:
The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage
Vlad the Impaler: More Epic Tales From Detroit's '97 Stanley Cup Conquest
A Miracle of Their Own: A Team, A Stunning Gold Medal and Newfound Dreams for American Girls
The second guest is our NBA stats guru, Siddy Hall, who takes a deep dive into the issues surrounding the Detroit Pistons, currently owners of a brutal 12 game losing streak. 
Siddy goes off on coach Monty Williams and his insistence of starting Killian Hayes over Jaden Ivey, the failure of GM Troy Weaver to build a coherent roster, Cade Cunningham's inefficiency and penchant for turnovers as a number one scoring option, center Jalen Duren stepping up but still being on the second tier of big men, and rookie Ausar Thompson having many positives but one massive negative, to name just a few of the many Pistons topics covered.
During the final segment of the show, we discuss the the rise of Detroit Lions.  As they head into a Thanksgiving Day clash against the Green Bay Packers, a three game winning streak has moved the Lions to 8-2, the second best record in the NFL.  
Due to time constraints there is no Birthday Game, but we do name our respective Jerk of the 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 

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
Between the Lions' fast start, the Tigers and Miguel Cabrera playing out the string and the latest on the Yzerplan, there's plenty on this weeks agenda. 
First, a programming note: The Jerks will be on a short hiatus, as Al will be out of town. But we'll be back on Tuesday, October 24 with special guest Keith Gave. Keith is a former Red Wings beat writer for the Free Press turned author. On November 7, our NBA Stats Guru, Siddy Hall, returns to talk all things hoops. 
This week our topics include:
The Lions split their first two home games of the season, starting the season a solid 2-1. They did lose a hard hitting battle to the Seahawks (who seemingly have the Lions number and all but killed the silly blue ski mask stuff) but they handily beat the Falcons as Detroit's defense dominated. 
Remember Brad Holmes' controversial draft class that was railed against by NFL pundits for the lack of positional value? Three games in, those rookies, led by an electric Brian Branch, are making an outsized impact.
Entering NFL week four, is the NFC North already just a two team race between the 2-1 Lions and 2-1 Packers? The winless Vikings and slow motion train wreck Bears say, "YES." 
The Tigers missed the playoffs for ninth consecutive season, tied with the Angels for the current longest MLB postseason drought. 
PBO Scott Harris finally brought in his new right hand man, naming Jeff Greenberg as the Tigers' GM. Greenberg was lured away from....the Blackhawks? 
Miguel Cabrera is playing out the string as the Tigers start their final homestand of the season. As we celebrate Miggy's wonderful HoF career, we should also be relieved his long decline is over, freeing up salary and a roster spot. 
As the Red Wings enter year 5 of GM Steve Yzerman's regime, is it too soon to start questioning the Yzerplan? As the Wings, appear to be a playoff bubble team at best, the answer is - no it's not....but there are also several caveats. 
Plus we play The Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the 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 

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks! 
It's a threesome this week (Greg's words) as Eno, Nick and Big Al talk the latest in Detroit sports. Two topics dominated, which we cover in-depth. 
This week we discuss: 
Tuck is no longer comin'. Michigan State suspended head football coach Mel Tucker without pay while MSU investigates allegations that he sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor and activist well known for advocating for victims of assault and taking to college athletes.  The details are, to put it mildly, awful.
Tucker's defense is a conspiracy theory, claiming the inquiry is little more than "an ulterior motive" so MSU can get out of his ridiculous 10-year, $95 million contract via the moral turpitude clause.  Yes, this is going to get ugly and likely end up in court. Regardless, Tucker's Power 5 coaching career is over, no matter what happens.
The Detroit Lions start living up to the hype, taking down the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead, 21-20. 
Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor appeared to jump early on nearly every snap. Even worse, Taylor was illegally lining up well off the line of scrimmage, to the point where Cris Collinsworth called Taylor a "slot receiver." Yet the refs only called one false start on the Chiefs. 
The Lions took on their biggest rival, the zebras, and won! In the words of Dan Campbell, "You gotta adjust." To the Lions credit, they did.
NBC's Mike Tirico caught serious fan blowback when he said the Lions' victory would have an asterisk next to it due to the Chiefs missing Chris Jones and Travis Kelce. Tirico, who lives in Ann Arbor, said it was taken out of context.  Always quick with a quote, when asked, Campbell replied. “Well, is there an asterisk next to our 1-0?” 
Up next for the Lions is their home opener. They take on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in week 18, the Seattle Seahawks. To say Ford Field will be a madhouse is an understatement. 
It's the NFL's world and we're just living in it. Lions - Chiefs averaged 27M viewers and was the most-watched program on TV since Super Bowl LVII last February.
Is anyone watching the Detroit Tigers? Bueller? Bueller?
Plus we play The Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the 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 

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
Greg is back from his tour of the state of Michigan. So the three headed monster known as The Knee Jerks are back in full force to discuss the latest in Detroit sports. 
One programming note - The Knee Jerks Podcast is back to recording twice a month, with a new show released every other Tuesday night. 
This week our topics include:
With the emergence of Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter and now Parker Meadows, the Tigers may have a young core of position players to build around for the first time since the core of the 1984 team were called up in the late 70's. 
Catcher Eric Haase is DFA'd, replaced by Carson Kelly. Haase was a nice guy, but if he isn't hitting home runs, he's expendable.
Is there anything the Tigers can do with Javy Baez, the $98 million left on his contract and his league worst bat? The Tigers and their fans have to accept for the next 4 years the franchise essentially has Eddie Brinkman as their shortstop.
The vast majority of Lions starters didn't play a single snap in their 3 exhibition games. Was it the right decision? After seeing Nate Sudfeld tear up his knee in a meaningless game, the answer is YES.
As relief pitching was to Dave Dombrowski, kickers are to Brad Holmes. After nearly 4 decades of elite placekicking, today's Lions feel adrift at the position as they look for trade options. 
Michigan's Jim Harbaugh had a lot on his mind during his recent presser. First and foremost was making a case for NCAA players getting a share of the massive amounts of TV revenue the schools make of the backs of their labor. Good idea, but that also opens a Pandora's Box of problems that could never be solved without blowing up the current system.
Plus we play The Birthday Game and name our respective Jerk of the 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 

Detroit sports podcasters Greg Eno, Big Al Beaton and Nick Milanovich are The Knee Jerks!
Greg is happily on vacation wandering throughout the state of Michigan in his RV, so Nick and Al pardner up for hot topics, tangents, and the Jerk of the Week. Greg will be back in two weeks!
This week our topics include:
Recently traded Michael Lorenzen throws a no-hitter for the Phillies. All you can do is laugh!
RIP Jim Price.
A semi-mea culpa for Miguel Cabrera in his final weeks as a Detroit Tiger. 
What to make of a smoking hot at the plate Spencer Torkelson, currently playing the best baseball of his short career.
Red Wings acquire veteran defenseman Jeff Petry from the Canadians, a deal with very little downside and a ton of upside.
Thanks to local Detroit sports talk radio, who love fanning flames and making mountains out of molehills, Jameson Williams is the latest Detroit fan scapegoat.
The Lions sign Teddy Bridgewater as their backup QB, as no self-proclaimed playoff contender could into the season with the likes of Nate Sudfeld behind Jared Goff.
For whom the bell tolls? It tolls for the PAC 12 conference, which will no longer exist as of 2024.
All that, plus the 1968 Tigers, Paul Carey, Jason Thompson, Rob Deer, small ball, three true outcomes, the Wings resurrecting old defensemen, Eric Ebron, hiking and numerous other tangents!
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