The Knee Jerks - Eno And Big Al

This week The Knee Jerks thoroughly cover the retirement of Detroit Lions' wide receiver Calvin Johnson and GM Bob Quinn's signings in the first week of NFL free agency. Then talk of the Detroit Red Wings' playoff chances turns into a wide ranging discussion of the current state of the Red Wings franchise, asking if keeping the playoff streak alive is causing the team to become stagnant and complacent. The guys end the show giving thewir takes on the controversy swirling around Bryce Harper ripping baseball's "unwritten rules" and Goose Gossage essentially yelling "get off my lawn" by calling Harper's comments "disrepectful" and saying on-field celebrating is "acting like a fool," while breaking out the "NERDS" card about advanced metrics. Eno and Big Al also play The Birthday Game and name their Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive ca

Eno and Big Al return from a few weeks off, giving their extended thoughts on the latest news from the Pistons, Red Wings, Lions and Tigers. The guys start the show giving their takes on Stan Van Gundy and the Detroit Pistons, who made a trade deadline splash by acquiring Travis Harris from Orlando. Then it's on to the Detroit Red Wings, who may need to make a significant trade deadline deal in order to make noise in the NHL playoffs. Next it's the Detroit Lions and GM Bob Quinn, who cut Joique Bell and Stephen Tulloch, and may need to do the same with Calvin Johnson, whose status (will he or won't he retire?) remains in limbo. To wrap up the podcast, Eno and Big Al cover the Detroit Tigers and their extending the contract of J.D. Martinez, which leads to the guys pondering just what direction this franchise will go in 2018 when several expensive deals expire. Eno and Big Al also play The Birthday Game and name their Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man

This week The Knee Jerks welcome back to the podcast professional photogrpaher Greg Shamus. Greg is the team photographer for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, works numerous pro and college sports assignments for Getty Images and has a studio in Wyandotte, MI. He's covered everyting from the Super Bowl to high schools, and everyting in between. Greg talks about the changes he's seen in the business with the rise of the web and fall of print media, along with the huge upheaval in photography equipment over the years. You can see many examples of Greg's work at ShamusPhoto.com.  In the second half of the show the Jerks cover the Detroit Tigers' signing of Justin Upton, the controversy swirling around Jim Harbaugh's football recruiting practices at the University of Michigan, and new GM Bob Quinn's house cleaning of the Detroit Lions' front offiice, turning the team into Patriots West, along with Eno and Big Al making their Super Bowl predictions. The guys also play The Birthday Game and name their Jerk of the W

The Knee Jerkls return from a holiday hiatus to dicuss the Detroit Lions' hiring of Bob Quinn as General Manager and his controversial decision to retain head coach Jim Caldwell. As the Lions' front office undergoes an overhaul, Hall of Fame bound wide receiver Calvin Johnson announced he is considering retirement. Eno and Big Al proceed to get fired up over Alan Trammell's falling off the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in his 15th and final attempt, calling out the BBWAA while pondering the reasons why the Detroit Tigers' long-time shortstop fell short of the hall, then bask in the glow of the Detroit Pistons retiring Ben Wallace's number and Detroit Red Wings' rookie Dylan Larkin being named to the NHL All-Star Game. The guys also play The Birthday Game and name their Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive can be found the Sports Geeks R

With Christmas just around the corner, The Knee Jerks welcome Keith Avallone of PLAAY Games, maker of old-school card-and-chart sports board games, to the show. You can learn more about the games Keith offers and the online community supporting his efforts at PLAAY.com. The secind half of the show Eno and Big Al talk Detroit Lions and the future of Calvin Johnson, the Detroit Tigers, their current roster and the possibility of one more splash signing and the Detroit Pistons' impressive start to the NBA season. Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive can be found the Sports Geeks Radio Network.

This week The Knee Jerks welcome back author Earl Shores to talk about his latest effort, "Full Color Electric Football," the second book from the writing/design team of Shores, Roddy Garcia, and Michael Kronenberg. It's a picture-filled folowup to 2013's "The Unforgettable Buzz," which is THE resource when it comes to the history of electric football.  Eno and Big Al highly reccommend "Full Color Electric Football." It's a fun Christmas gift for the Baby Boomer/Generation Jones football fan in your life, or anyone who appreciates/plays electric football.  "Full Color Electirc Football" is avaliable direct from their website, Tudor Games' website, and Amazon. In the second half of the podcast, the Jerks cover all angles of the Detroit Lions' brutal, last play, Hail Mary loss to the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Tigers' owner Mike Ilitch making waves at a press conference as his team signed a pair of pitchers - top of the rotation member Jordan Zimmerman and 5th starter/innings eater Mike Pelfrey. Eno and B

Eno and Big Al have plenty to cover in this episode of The Knee Jerks. Detroit Lions owner Martha Ford cleaned house, firing GM Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand. Despite the firings, controversy surrounding the team changing flagship radio stations due to claims of censorship by outgoing flagship (97.1 the Ticket) and negativity throughout the fanbase, on the field the team now has a two game winning streak. The Detroit Tigerd also made news over the past two weeks by trading for a closer Francisco Rodriguez and outfielder Cameron Maybin.  Eno and Big Al dive head first into those topics, plus play The Birthday Game and name The Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive can be found the Sports Geeks Radio Network.

The Detroit Pistons have shocked the NBA with their 3-0 start to the 2015-16 season, which means it's a great itme to bring back former Pistons player and head coach Ray Scott to talk hoops on The Knee Jerks. Coach gives us his thoughts on this years Detroit model, including the continued emergence of Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, the team buying into Stan Van Gundy's 3-point based offense and increased focus on defense and if the fast start is a fluke or the coming out party for a playoff team. The second half of the show has Eno and Big Al evicerating the Detroit Lions after inflicting upon their fanbase an embarrassing 45-10 loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs at London's Wembley Stadium. The Lions have already fired their offensive coordinator, could more changes in the coaching staff and front office be immenent? The Jerks ponder the very tenuous status of coach Jim Caldwell, GM Martin Mayhew, and President Tom Lewand, and ask if its time for 90-year-old owner Martha Ford to blow up the ent

It was a huge football weekend in Michigan and The Knee Jerks, Eno and Big Al, give their takes after soaking in all of it, from the Detroit Lions beaitng the Chicago Bears, avoiding 0-16 talk but still in deep trouble at 1-5 to the bitterly fought Michigan - Michigan State game ending in a fashion no one could have ever imaginged. In the first half of the episode, Eno and Big Al talk all things Lions, including the struggles of an emabttled coaching staff, the regession of QB Matthew Stafford, the need to make massive changes in the front office (starting with GM Martin Mayhew and President Tom Lewand), the seeming void in leadership, starting with the Fords, their receiving the short end of the officiating stick and where this cursed franchise could go from this point. The Jerks end the show by discussing the weirdness which took place in Ann Arbor this weekend, MSU beating their arch-rival Michigan on a weirdly botched punt with just 10 second remaining in the game, along with the ugly post-game fallout

This week The Knee Jerks welcome back Matt Hutter, our Detroit Red Wings insider and long-time friend of the show. As the NHL season starts this week, Matt joins the Jerks for a Red Wings and NHL 2015-16 season preview. In the second half of the show, Eno and Big Al do an end of the season Detroit Tigers post-mortem, looking back at what went wrong and what moves the team needs to make for the 2016 season. All that plus the Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive can be found the Sports Geeks Radio Network.

The Knee Jerks return to cover the latest in Detroit sports! In a Detroit Tigers-centric episode, Eno and Big Al discuss all the angles when it comes to the surprising announcement from GM Al Avila that manager Brad Ausmus will return in 2016, despite numerous leaks and reports to the contrary. The Tigers also sent reliever Bruce Rondon home for what was termed "a lack of effort," so the Jerks look into how the shaky status of Rondon could affect the team's off-season rebuilding of the pitching staff. This eposide closes with a look at the 0-2 Detroit Lions, who face a must-win game against the Denver Broncos. All that plus the Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive can be found the Sports Geeks Radio Network.

It's another Detroit Tigers-centric episode thanks to team owner Mike Ilitch firing his Presiddent and General Manager, Dave Dombrowski, replacing him with Dombrowski's friend and long-time lieutenant Al Avila. The Jerks cover every aspect of the controversial move, from the Ilitch's odd handling and timing of the situuation, the reasons why Dombrowski was terminated, the fallout resulting from the change, the future of an Avila-led franchise and the status of manager Brad Ausmus. In the second half of the show, topics include a discussion as to why both Big Al and Eno are watching much less Tigers baseball this season, the James McCann - Jose Iglasias dugout dustup, and the team naming Bruce Rondon the closer. The show ends with a discussion of the hype train for Detroit Lions rookie running back Ameer Abdullah, whom New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles compared to Barry Sanders. All that plus the Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of

This week The Knee Jerks welcome a very special guest to the show - Greg Kampe, who has been head basketball coach of the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies for 31 years. In a wide ranging interview, Coach Kampe covers the gamut - How he ended up at the Oakland campus thanks to Digger Phelps' white lie, once turning down an NBA opportunity, the difficulty and second thoughts of leading the Golden Grizzlies program from Division II to Division I, their rivalry with Detroit Mercy, the best player he ever coached at OU and previews their upcoming 2015-16 Horizon League season. In all honestly, the 35 minutes we spent with Greg Kampe ended up as one of the best interviews we've ever had on The Knee Jerks. The second half of the show is all Detroit Tigers, Dave Dombrowski and his team "reboot," all thanks to three trade deadline deals, sending David Price, Joakim Soria and Yoenis Cespedes out of town in exchange for six prospects, five of them pitchers. All that plus the Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit spo

Eno and Big Al delve deep into the Detroit Tigers' decline on the latest episode of The Knee Jerks podcast. Topics include: The Tigers' record has fallen under .500. In order to make a playoff run, they need to play .600 plus baseball in the second half. Are Tigers capable of doing so?The 2015 Tigers reside in no man's land - too good to be sellers at the deadline, but being buyers would not improve them to the point of being true title contenders.There are several Tigers in the walk year of their contract (Price, Cespedes, Soria, Avila, Davis, Simon), but almost forgotten is the most important piece of the franchise is also in his final year of his deal. GM Dave Dombrowski is a lame duck, and may move on after the season.The sports money bubble hasn't popped yet. The University of Michigan and Nike agree to the richest apparel deal in NCAA history, yet the players remain unable to profit off their likeness.The Detroit Red Wings inked Gustav Nyquist to a 4-year contract, locking down one of their next genera

Eno and Big Al covewr a very bust week in Detroit sports in the latest episode of The Knee Jerks podcast. Topics include: -Miguel Cabrera is out of 6 weeks with a serious calf injury. Does Cabrera's absence doom the Detroit Tigers' playoff chances? -Heading into next week's All-Streak break, the Tigers continue to hover around .500, are wracked by injuries and plauged by inconsisency. Should the Tigers kick the can on this season when the trade deadline arrives? Does a rebuild make sense when the division is still within reach and the wild card also in play? -The Detroit Red Wings make a splash in free agency, signing defenseman Mike Green and center Brad Richards. -Does Jeff Blashill replacing Mike Babacock as head coach make Detroit a more desirable location to free agents? -The Wings buy out the last three years of center Stephen Weiss' contract, opening the door for 2014 first round draft pick Dylan Larkin. -The Detroit Pistons selected Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson with the eighth overall

End and Big Al kick off year 7 of the The Knee Jerks podcast, giving their takes on the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Pstons, along with whatever else may be on their mind.  This week's topics include the the Red Wings coaching upheval, Mike Babcock moving on to the Maple Leafs and the hiring of Jeff Blashill, the Tigers' drop in the standings and their stuggles with injuries as they look to recover their footing the AL Central, Royals fans stuffing the All Star Game ballot box, and the Pistons continue to revamp their roster in the Stan Van Gundy mode by trading for Bucks stretch 4 Ersan Ilyasova. All that plus the Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive can be found the Sports Geeks Radio Network.

The Knee Jerks, Eno and Big Al, clebrate their 6th anniversary as a podcasting duo by welcoming back several friends of the show! Joining Greg and Al are Earl Shores, author of  The Unforgettable Buzz, Linda McCoy-Murray of the Jim Murray Foundation, Detroit Red Wings insider and third Jerk Matt Hutter, NHL pundit Ed Cmar, voice of USA Hockey Pete Krupsky, NFL expert Michael Schottey, former MLB umpire, speaker and author Dave Pallone, former Detroit Pistons head coach Ray Scott and Dave Mesrey of the Navin Field Grounds Crew. Long-time Detroit-based sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), and Big Al Beaton are The Knee Jerks! Eno and Big Al's podcast archive can be found the Sports Geeks Radio Network.

The Knee Jerks, Eno and Big Al, welcome Jesse Harper of i1 Biometrics to the podcast to discuss concussion issues in sports and how his company is develolping technology to combat the head injury epidemic at all levels, Jesse Harper is CEO and President of i1 Biometrics, a Kirkland, Wash-based sports technology company which is working with teams at the NCAA and High School level to detect dangerous head impacts on the field of play in real time. You can learn more about this emerging technology, invcluding the Vector Mouthguard, at i1 Biometrics.com and @i1Biometrics, along with Facebook and YouTube. In the second half of the show, the Jerks cover the Detroit Red Wings' 1st round playoff series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the streaky start to the season for the Detroit Tigers, and what direction the Detroit Lions may go in this week's NFL Draft. All that plus the Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka the man who knows a lot of things about a lot of things), an

The Knee Jerks, Eno and Big Al, return with a Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings-centric episode. Topics: The Tigers started their season red hot, winning their first 5 games and outscoring the opposition 39-11. The pitching staff tied an MLB record by starting the season by not allowing an earned run over their first 32 innings. The everyday lineup has hit the cover off the ball and appears to be vastly improved defensively. The bullpen remains a question mark, struggling despite entering games in what have been low leverage sitations. The Red Wings' streak of playoff appearances reaches 24 consecutive seasons, will play Steve Yzerman's Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Since Jimmy Devellano joined the Red Wings organization in 1982, the team has missed the playoofs just twice. Who will be the playoff goalie and does it really make a difference considering the recent struggles of  Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek? Will there be enough Wings scoring depth to offset the Lightning's top ranked offe

The Knee Jerks, Eno and Big Al, dive head-first into all the news the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings have made over the past 2 weeks. Our Third Jerk and Red Wings insider, Bleacher Report's Matt Hutter, breaks down the Wings as they head into the playoffs, including the burning goalie controversy between Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek. In the second half of the podcast, Eno and Big Al give their take on the Tigers issues at the end of sping training, including the still very questionable bullpen, Justin Verlander's status, David Price being named opening day starter, Jose Iglesias' struggles at the plate, and who takes the final two spots on the roster. The Jerks also cover the statements Lions' GM Martin Mayhew and head coach Jim Caldwell made to the media about the makeup of the team, the loss of Ndamukong Suh, offensive and defensive schemes, and the draft at the NFL's owners meetings. All that plus the Jerk of the Week! Long-time Detroit sports bloggers and podcasters, Greg Eno (aka