Saturday Drinking Thread
Figured it was the perfect time to start this, after the way the Tigers game just ended. I'm convinced that this has to be the worst first-place-in-August team in the history of baseball. I actually laughed during the inevitable bullpen collapse.
Anyway, I'm heading to Nashville tonight for some pre-season NFL action, going to be crushing quite a few local Tennessee craft beers. What's everyone else up to?
Yeah this is well-timed after watching yet another implosion. How many more chances is Nathan going to get, and how many more stupid decisions is Ausmus going to make?
The Tigers are nothing more than a mediocre team in a terrible division. What a waste of an incredible lineup of starting pitchers.
The NL East is a bit worse than the AL Central, this argument hasn't been nearly as true as people make it out to be.
Any time someone resorts to the "terrible division" meme, it makes it so much easier for me to ignore their argument.
Laughing Skull Amber Ale
Because this is what I looked like when the Braves returned from their 8 game road trip. At least the Tigers are in the playoffs (if the season ended today).
I'm not sure how you can call this team mediocre. All five of our starters have ERAs under 4.00. We have three offensive all stars in V-Mart, Miggy, and Kinsler not even to mention the play of guys like Rajai Davis and Torii Hunter. No doubt there are holes in this team (specifically the bullpen), but there is no way you can call this team mediocre.
Under-achieving is likely the more appropriate word. The bats have been silent in the midst of one of our rotation's best two week span this season, and we can't find a way to close games. The Indians are mediocre. The Reds are mediocre. The Rays are mediocre. Sure this has been highly frustrating, but it is also highly unfair to call this Detroit team mediocre. Honestly, I believe they still have the ability to make a WS run, but pitching needs to remain stout and the bats MUST wake up.
August 10th, 2014 at 5:33 AM ^
1. Not all five of the Tigers starters have ERA's under 4. Verlander is at 4.57
2. Miggy is having the worst offensive year of his career since his first year with the Tigers in 2006. His BA, OBP, Walk Rate, and OPS are all way down this year. His strikeout rate is conversely up this year. Honestly, I have no idea what is going through his mind at times this year. Pitches that he spat on the last couple years, are turning into outs this year because he is chasing them. By his standards he is having a a bad year.
3. Kinsler has done very little since the All Star Break, and honestly he was probally overachieving in the first half, given his last 3 years in Texas.
4. Hunter is a mediocre OF at this point. Average at best defensively (and that's being generous). His OBP of .307 is the worst among the normal Tiger starters. Hitting some home runs and picking up some RBI's doesn't mean that he isn't mediocre overall.
That's fine and dandy that some people still believe the Tigers have a decent shot at a WS (even though I highly disagree). However, the fact of the matter that this team might not even get in the playoffs, since KC is 1.5 games back after tonight and the two teams are seemingly going in opposite directions.
August 10th, 2014 at 5:46 AM ^
He does not have it , he can not get left-handed hitters out any more. You can not get by with only a 90-92 fastball(mostly 4-seamers) and a slider. The only time he has looked remotely decent this year is when he has gotten lucky, and faced 2+ right handed batters in an inning.
The issue is that his possible replacement hasn't pitched well since coming over and left today's game with an injury. The closer situation looks more and more hopeless by the day.
Because Ausmus has no idea how to manage his pitching staff, that's why. Even if you're going to take out Scherzer, to put in Nathan after he threw 26 pitches last night (only 12 of which were strikes) is asinine. What's even worse is that when Soria came out in the 10th, nobody else was warming up. Joba came out completely cold, and not surprisngly, lost the game.
Don't be sucked into thinking that W-L record matters for a bullpen guy, because what are the odds that an 8th inning guy is going to pick up multiple w's? Joba has been the most consistent arm in the bullpen all year.
'Nathan is turrible' train, but how about some MORE RUNS? That would work, too. Come on, overpaid baseball players!
August 9th, 2014 at 10:00 PM ^
though!
/s
That's the weirdest drinking thread post I have ever read.
He needs more detail when he posts. Totally missed that.
Love Trey and all, but I wouldn't give him all the credit of bringing Michigan "back."
hey dude, im jealous of your collection and honestly of your fan hood, but I am 25 now, graduated with college and working a full time job. I mean this with the most respect, enjoy the games, and the atmosphere, but focus on some other things. Chase some girls, play some xbox, do stuff like that. You'll have your entire life to chase down this hobby, just try to take a step back and enjoy things non-Michigan.
I hope now with you going to Michigan, I dont open the Michigan Daily or Annarbor.com and see you are following athletes around campus... unless they are females.
I'm not going to school at Michigan. Like I said the other day on here, I'm not worthy of being a student there.
You can believe that I'm gonna get my kids in there though. I'm going to push them like I never was.
Hmm... wasn't aware of that.
I'm not worthy of being a student there.
With all due respect: Bullshit.
If you want it, you can go. I transferred after 1 year at a smaller Michigan school and it was the best decision in my life. If you love Michigan as much as it appears, work hard for a year and transfer in. It's 10% about being "smart", whatever that is, and 90% about work ethic.
dude with that attitude you are setting your self up for failure. I didnt have the grades in high school to get in. Bust your ass this year, and try again. I did, it was the best decision of my life. Spend less time here, and more time in the books. You can get in, I know you can.
You seem like a smart dude, dont sell yourself short
to add to it, dont do something youre going to regret when youre 25. If its your dream, bust your ass and do it! I can tell you it sucks looking back on things that werent that long ago, and knowing I didnt do anything to make things better. You are in charge of your life, your happiness.
I say work on it, go and then tell your kids how it was the best decision of your life
I don't want to have to sell my soul to get loans. I can only imagine how much the tuition would be.
If I can have a successful life and accomplish my life goals by going where I'm going then I'm going to do it.
I have no idea what I'm walking into with college and haven't even started a class yet. It's all unknown and overwhelming to me.
tuition is high everywhere man. Loans suck, but mine is payed off. My point is, you need to be happy man. Life sucks when you are miserable.
If Michigan is truely what you want to do, bust your ass and do it. Keep your grades up in college, its a fresh beginning. If its somewhere else, do that. If you arent positive you want to transfer, get your grades up and keep em up. Have some confidence, youre worth a Michigan education, based on your passion, youre more worthy than 99% of the alums.
Once your graduated, grad school and undergrad are two different beasts. The window of undergrad (unless you want to be the weird old guy) closes, and it never opens back up.
My advice for you:
1. Get good grades, it helps a lot during and after. Grades do matter when looking for a job.
2. College is not that different than high school. Do your homework, study, work hard. Rinse wash and repeat.
3. Have some fun, do some stupid shit (legal of course).
4. Be confident, girls love confident guys.
"I'm going down as a legend, whether or not you like me or not" - Kanye West.
Well, to throw one more thing at you:
The rule of thumb used to be: Don't take out loans that total more than your expected starting salary.
I ended up taking double the loans of my starting salary. I finished with 72k in loans (not a ton of family help, two degrees) and my first year salary was 35k. Now, entering year 4 of "real life" I have a salary pushing 50k and my loans are down to 50k. And I have 11k in the bank, saving for a condo. My life is good because I'm smart with money and UM provvided me some great networking that led to a solid, dependable job that I love.
My loan payments suck - 550 a month. But it's managable and was totally worth it. I'm probably not gonig to get out of my 2002 Impala until I'm 30, but so what. Michigan is expensive, but they do a good job of providing need-based grants. There's a large general student scholarship fund (that's why you want a huge endowment like what Michigan has). Every semester I got something like 3k in grant money towards tuition. That was for doing nothing and my FAFSA stuff probably put me solidly in middle to low-middle class. Find a fun campus job to take care of spending money + food. Live like a poor college student and you can finish UM with managable loans.
August 9th, 2014 at 11:16 PM ^
This is good advice.
I went for engineering and my loans were $500 less than my starting salary and I had them paid off in 4 years.
August 9th, 2014 at 10:00 PM ^
Ditto... Be in the Maize Rage, the Ultras, the Children of Yost, but don't think your the only die-hard fan. Embrace everyone, live and die with the game and then leave it behind you when you exit the arena (unless we won a B10 title. In that case go crazy and party until 6am). And for the love of god I hope you have a non-Michigan wardrobe. I love athletics (obviously, I'm here) but if I didn't open myself up to the non-athletics side of the University, them man would I have been missing out.
I strongly suggest you stop buying Michigan gear and save that money for a trip to Europe after you graduate. Or save it to take road-trips with your friends. To bowl games! Or the NCAA tournament!
At the end of the day, you'll be much happier if you spend money on a trip with friends than if you have three extra jerseys in your collection. The best part of my college experience was the road trip to Kansas City with my best friends for the first NCAA tourney appearance in a decade. Save your money for stuff like that.
or if never happened. Post them or we'll tell your mom that you were participating in a (mostly) drinking thread.
I look horrific in every picture I take but here it is. I always do this half blinking thing when the flash goes off.
of Leisure, WD.
First time I've had it. I don't know what I think of it. Very different.
this November, look for Backwoods Bastard. Its similar, but wayyyy better.
Enjoy it!
Commence people jumping off the Tigers bandwagon, the baseball god's shined upon us last night and we paid them back today. Bad call by Ausmus, bad pitching by Nathan, and your conerstone 1B is about to drop under .300.
The Tigers will still likely make the playoffs and will still have a chance at a WS, the ride isn't as fun as it should be but after years and years of shitty baseball I'll still remember these years fondly, regardless of the outcome.
Also Dortmunder Gold and some stuffed peppers for dinner, this is a drinking thread after all.
the Tigers have a bullseye on their chest. We are going to get every team's best effort from here on out. I was really impressed with the Yankees' pitching. I also realized how much I miss playing Toronto more regularly. Was a decent rivalry back in the days of the AL East, George Kell & Al Kaline, and Tiger Stadium.
August 10th, 2014 at 5:36 AM ^
is the one with the bullseye on it's chest? Yeah, for some reason I don't buy that.
Opened a growler of Singlecut Half Stack IPA. Will be switching to a fine CDP with dinner. Taking it easy tonight as I'm heading up to the Gunks in the morning.
Well, on a more uplifting note, we just got back from about four hours poolside at Willow Metropark near New Boston, and while I let the Solarcaine penetrate my shoulders, I am going to have a Sam Adams Boston Lager (nothing particularly fancy) and then sip on the pinot grigio I am putting in this sauce for tonight's dinner. I did, of course, pick up the Tigers game on the radio, so yeah....there's that involved in this beer, I admit.