9/30/2025 1:08 pm Tigers @ Guardians AL Wild Card Game 1

[oblong]

Where:  Progressive Field Cleveland, OH

Listen:  97.1 The Ticket, LaZ WDTW 1310AM/107.9FM, ESPN Radio

Watch:  ESPN

Weather: Sunny 74 degrees

Starting Pitchers:  

DET:  Tarik Skubal

CLE: Gavin Williams

 

[Screwball]

I live in the middle of Indian country about 2 hrs from Cleveland's stadium. 3:30 is my usual daily trip to see the other retired guys and have an adult beverage. Not tomorrow - no way, no how. Game will be on, place will be full - all Indian fans who are insufferable. 

Skubal has had extra days off. I expect him to struggle early. Arm is too live. Fastball will be good, but the other stuff won't do what he wants it to do. Especially that kick ass change. The pitch which sets up the others. Don't walk people. Hope he can settle down and get in a groove after a few innings. What to do with Ramirez?

The Tigers have to put the ball in play. Hit the damn ball. 

[monkeytargets39]

Must Win

Must Win

Must Win

Must Win

[oblong]

16 minutes ago, Screwball said:

I live in the middle of Indian country about 2 hrs from Cleveland's stadium. 3:30 is my usual daily trip to see the other retired guys and have an adult beverage. Not tomorrow - no way, no how. Game will be on, place will be full - all Indian fans who are insufferable. 

Skubal has had extra days off. I expect him to struggle early. Arm is too live. Fastball will be good, but the other stuff won't do what he wants it to do. Especially that kick ass change. The pitch which sets up the others. Don't walk people. Hope he can settle down and get in a groove after a few innings. What to do with Ramirez?

The Tigers have to put the ball in play. Hit the damn ball. 

A daily trip at 3 for a drink with retirees is a definite life goal of mine.  Whenever I burn a personal or vacation day this time of year with no real plans I always try to have lunch at a place where I can have a beer.  They taste so much better that way. 

[lordstanley]

By the way, while a Game 3 if necessary is scheduled for 1:08pm ET the time could be moved. If one or two of the other three series are done in 2 games, then the Tigers game would be moved to 3:08pm ET Thursday. If all three of the other three series are done in 2 games, then the Tigers would be moved to 7:38pm ET Thursday.

[Tigermojo]

[Screwball]

25 minutes ago, oblong said:

A daily trip at 3 for a drink with retirees is a definite life goal of mine.  Whenever I burn a personal or vacation day this time of year with no real plans I always try to have lunch at a place where I can have a beer.  They taste so much better that way. 

There are about 8 of us, not all show up everyday, but enough. We love to hear the "work day" horror stories of those who are not as fortunate. It really means a lot to us old guys (from 65 to almost 80) to just get out and talk to people every day. The "youngin's" think we are a hoot. They are too.

Funny, the bar owner is a long time rabid Tiger fan. I'm guessing he will watch the games at home this week. They have about 10 TVs at his bar. The Tuesday night the Indians scored 3 runs without hitting a ball out of the infield and Skubal hit that guy, some of the Indian fans said he did it on purpose and it got a bit ugly I guess. Glad I wasn't there. Good place to get your ass kicked.

Speaking of ass kickings...Hello Tigers!!!!

The stat guys might appreciate this, but I'm on the "reversion to the mean" train.

Edited September 30 by Screwball

[IdahoBert]

This broadcast begins at 11 AM for me, which is perfect because I would just as soon get the celebrating or suffering over with early on.  

[oblong]

1 hour ago, Screwball said:

There are about 8 of us, not all show up everyday, but enough. We love to hear the "work day" horror stories of those who are not as fortunate. It really means a lot to us old guys (from 65 to almost 80) to just get out and talk to people every day. The "youngin's" think we are a hoot. They are too.

Funny, the bar owner is a long time rabid Tiger fan. I'm guessing he will watch the games at home this week. They have about 10 TVs at his bar. The Tuesday night the Indians scored 3 runs without hitting a ball out of the infield and Skubal hit that guy, some of the Indian fans said he did it on purpose and it got a bit ugly I guess. Glad I wasn't there. Good place to get your ass kicked.

Speaking of ass kickings...Hello Tigers!!!!

The stat guys might appreciate this, but I'm on the "reversion to the mean" train.

Working from home for over 5 years I felt some isolation.  I’d walk up to the gas station just to get a coffee or iced tea and see a human outside of family. . I quickly learned to not get impatient at the old guy buying his lottery tickets. That might be their only interaction all day with someone.  My uncle is in mid mid 60s. He was laid off in his 40s from a job delivering magazines. He hooked up with our church which also had a school to be their operations guy.  Basically a janitor/fix it/arrange for any work guy. Had an “office” in their garage. It was perfect for him at that stage in their life. They had everything paid off.  Before work every day he’d meet up with the old timers at McDonald for coffee. I’d laugh. “Uncle Joe and the old guys”. Now hes the old guy.   Now at family functions we drink together and play the “well I’ll have another if you do…”. Then my wife and his wife ask if we are ready to go then we blame the other.   It’s my wife’s uncle and godfather so it works out with good laughs.  We found out their senior apartment complex is next to a cemetery where Eddie Cicotte (of the 1919 black sox) is buried so we have it on our agenda this fall to find his grave.   Beer will be involved.   Anyway… the point is be nice to older people.  They deserve it. And they know more. 

[Screwball]

1 minute ago, oblong said:

Working from home for over 5 years I felt some isolation.  I’d walk up to the gas station just to get a coffee or iced tea and see a human outside of family. . I quickly learned to not get impatient at the old guy buying his lottery tickets. That might be their only interaction all day with someone.  My uncle is in mid mid 60s. He was laid off in his 40s from a job delivering magazines. He hooked up with our church which also had a school to be their operations guy.  Basically a janitor/fix it/arrange for any work guy. Had an “office” in their garage. It was perfect for him at that stage in their life. They had everything paid off.  Before work every day he’d meet up with the old timers at McDonald for coffee. I’d laugh. “Uncle Joe and the old guys”. Now hes the old guy.   Now at family functions we drink together and play the “well I’ll have another if you do…”. Then my wife and his wife ask if we are ready to go then we blame the other.   It’s my wife’s uncle and godfather so it works out with good laughs.  We found out their senior part complex is next to a cemetery where Eddie Cicotte (of the 1919 black sox) is buried so we have it on our agenda this fall to find his grave.   Beer will be involved.   Anyway… the point is be nice to older people.  They deserve it. And they know more. 

Good for you. You know they appreciate that stuff. They know there are only so many more days left, and each one precious. Any little thing like that is a blessing.

Me and a couple of buddies took a trip to the Amish country in SE Ohio one time. Old people do that. We were coming out of a restaurant and I was holding the door open for a guy who looked to be in his 80s. The other two I was with were trying to figure out where we parked. I looked at this guy and said; We already lost the car and we ain't even started drinking yet. He got the biggest kick out of that. Probably made his day.

It is really no fun getting old. Rest homes really really suck.

[Tiger337]

5 minutes ago, oblong said:

Working from home for over 5 years I felt some isolation.  I’d walk up to the gas station just to get a coffee or iced tea and see a human outside of family. . 

I get that too when I work at home.  I now live alone, so I can go a whole day without seeing anyone.  That can get to be isolating even for an introvert like me.  I sometimes go to the store up the street to get a lemonade or something and see some people.  

[Tiger337]

3 minutes ago, Screwball said:

It is really no fun getting old. Rest homes really really suck.

yes, they do.  I did everything I could to keep my parents at home and away from rest homes.  It was a big effort but well worth it to keep my parents human and reasonably happy into their 90s.  My father had a group he would meet at McDonalds every day for years.  He out lived all of them and got a little lonely at the end.  

[CMRivdogs]

Pre-pandemic and when I lived in Michigan I would take my then pup to Lyon Oaks for the dog park several mornings during the week. There would be about a half dozen or so of us. Retired, or near retirement age. We'd about an hour or so just walking the perimeter of the park discussing the days events or whatever. It was cool, a chance to socialize, get a bit of exercise, the dogs got some extra socialization out of it. I used to describe it as like the old guys at McDonalds 

[lordstanley]

A classic song about old age & loneliness from a legendary songwriter.

 

[oblong]

6 hours ago, lordstanley said:

A classic song about old age & loneliness from a legendary songwriter.

 

We saw Bonnie Raitt a few weeks ago and after she did Angel from Montgomery the whole place just got up and applauded for 3 minutes.  Given the demographics it's a sit down concert for sure so it obviously felt special to do that.  

[casimir]

Seems like a good day to win.

[romad1]

You guys.  For all your sakes, this team needs a win.  

The 18U team I coach practices at a field with an elder care facility just past the outfield fences.  We see an ambulance every time we practice.  My dark joke about that was "I wonder if that's like the ice cream truck for those folks" 

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

30 minutes ago, casimir said:

Seems like a good day to win.

Might as well...

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

I will give the Tigers my attention today for the first time in awhile.  Hopefully they play well enough to keep it.

[casimir]

2 hours ago, romad1 said:

You guys.  For all your sakes, this team needs a win.  

The 18U team I coach practices at a field with an elder care facility just past the outfield fences.  We see an ambulance every time we practice.  My dark joke about that was "I wonder if that's like the ice cream truck for those folks" 

 

You know the story of cruise ships and free ice cream, right?

[casimir]

5 minutes ago, Shades of Deivi Cruz said:

I will give the Tigers my attention today for the first time in awhile.  Hopefully they play well enough to keep it.

Welcome back to the bandwagon.

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

22 minutes ago, casimir said:

Welcome back to the bandwagon.

I'm being dragged behind, and my grip is slipping, but I'm here.

[IdahoBert]

I’m 73 and almost everyone I know is younger than me. And a lot of them can be pretty cool people. It’s not like I think everyone younger is a moron.

But it’s getting hard to find anyone who understands my more clever jokes that make a lot of cultural and historical references to things from when I was growing up with the hinge being something like the utterance “plastics” from the film The Graduate.

If you have to explain it, it’s not funny.

On the rare times when I’m with my old friends from college one word like that can reduce us all to jelly. I miss that kind of connection and rarely ever find it any longer.

[CaliforniaDreaming]

5 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

one word like that can reduce us all to jelly

RandySmith

I hope your experience of the shared laughter of his ineptitude with all of us here brought you some joy!

[chasfh]

11 hours ago, oblong said:

Working from home for over 5 years I felt some isolation.  I’d walk up to the gas station just to get a coffee or iced tea and see a human outside of family. . I quickly learned to not get impatient at the old guy buying his lottery tickets. That might be their only interaction all day with someone.  My uncle is in mid mid 60s. He was laid off in his 40s from a job delivering magazines. He hooked up with our church which also had a school to be their operations guy.  Basically a janitor/fix it/arrange for any work guy. Had an “office” in their garage. It was perfect for him at that stage in their life. They had everything paid off.  Before work every day he’d meet up with the old timers at McDonald for coffee. I’d laugh. “Uncle Joe and the old guys”. Now hes the old guy.   Now at family functions we drink together and play the “well I’ll have another if you do…”. Then my wife and his wife ask if we are ready to go then we blame the other.   It’s my wife’s uncle and godfather so it works out with good laughs.  We found out their senior apartment complex is next to a cemetery where Eddie Cicotte (of the 1919 black sox) is buried so we have it on our agenda this fall to find his grave.   Beer will be involved.   Anyway… the point is be nice to older people.  They deserve it. And they know more. 

Out of reactions at the moment, but this is a +1 for me.

Talking to seniors is THE main reason I love volunteering as a delivery driver for a local pantry. I have a regular clientele of maybe 50 or so people, mostly seniors, I deliver to at least every two weeks. Most of the know me by “first name” (they are always “miss first name” and “mister last name” to me, and they appreciate the respectful address), and we know each other well enough to ask questions about certain topline personal things like family and health issues. One of them, Mr Davenport, has even told me I’m his best friend, and I suspect he really means it. I get where he’s coming from—he’s in his 80s, health issues, living alone in rough circumstances in a low-income high-rise building in the big city, feels isolated from everything around him, and he has said as much. I sense it wouldn’t be right to disabuse him of the notion, so I try to be as gracious as I can about it. He’s an extreme example, but point is, me showing up with their food from the pantry is a big highlight for most of my clients, and not just for the food itself. I’m so blessed to be in a position to provide them both sustenance and social contact. Doing this has been literally the best choice I have ever made, and by that I’m talking what it means for myself, not necessarily for them.

Edited September 30 by chasfh