The gang at Bless You Boys decided to get together one more time before the holidays to record the final Bless You Boys Podcast of 2012. It's our Christmas gift to you!

BYB Podcast 25 has a running time of 1:05 and features Allison Hagen, Patrick O’Kennedy, David Tokarz, Matt Wallace, Kurt Mensching, and Al Beaton.

Topics discussed:

• Allison takes on MLB's Winter Mettings...and survives.
• Brandon Inge got in a car accident, which is the only way he can hit something.
• Meet Octavio Dotel!
• We say goodbye to Ryan Perry, hello to Collin Balester.
• Will Rhymes was non-tendered.
• Could Miguel Cabrera bat 3rd in 2012?
• Tigerfest cancelled!
• Rumor mongering with Jacob Turner.
• Billy Beane wants the moon for Gio Gonzalez.
• Are the Hanley Ramirez rumors just Ken Rosenthal throwing crap to see what sticks?
• Could the Tigers really be interested in Jimmy Rollins?
• Any off season moves will be based on first acquiring Yoenis Cespedes.
• Do the editors agree with the BYB readership, is a big move or two needed to win the AL Central?
• Are you outraged over the Ryan Braun PED scandal, or do you have 'roid fatigue?
• Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson get crazy money from the Angels...or are they crazy like a fox?
• The Marlins are throwing around cash like Tony Montana snorts cocaine.
• You should be reading the blogs of Phil Coke's Brain, Dirk Haywurst and Rogo.
• Kurt's birthday is on Christmas Eve...and no one ever remembers.

Brandon Inge mentions:1

We apologize for the lack of listener questions. They were left out because the podcast would have been a good 6 hours long otherwise. They'll be back, so hang in there.

We LOVE to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, please email us at BYBPodcast at Gmail.com. And listener questions will return...

We're baaaaack! The batteries have been recharged and there is news a-plenty, so the Bless You Boys Podcast has come out of hibernation!

A wide ranging podcast runs 1:36 (that's what happens when you take time off, there's a backlog of news), featuring the dulcet tones of Allison Hagen, Rob Rogacki, Kurt Mensching, and Al Beaton. We also introduce Patrick O’Kennedy as TigerDog1.

FYI: The BYB Podcast is now available for streaming on-demand on your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry or Palm phone via Stitcher radio! You can find links to the app at Stitcher.com.

Topics discussed:

• BYB has access! We're somebody now!
• Allison is headed to MLB's Winter Meetings, plans to stalk Dave Dombrowski.
• The history, the process, the results, the DIBS Awards.
• Little Victor lost the DIBS vote? We want a recount! Heads will roll...
• Justin Verlander sweeps the Cy Young and MVP!
• Dave Dombrowski honored.
• Manager of the Year = overrated.
• Silver Slugger and Glove Gloves awards are not to be taken seriously.
• Jose Valverde's option picked up.
• Ramon Santiago re-signed.
• Platoons at 2nd and 3rd base? It could happen...
• The return of G$, aka Gerald Laird.
• 40 man roster updates.
• Why won't the Tigers talk about their arbitration decisions?
• Rumor mongering with Yoenis Cespedes, Aramis Ramirez, Mark Buehrle, Octavio Dotel, Coco Crisp, Kelly Johnson, Maicer Izturis, Martin Prado, and Chone Figgins.
• Stupid crazy free agent contracts.
• Gene Lamont will not be freed.
• Patrick breaks down the new CBA.
• Final thoughts are just glad to be back!

Brandon Inge mentions: 2

We apologize for the lack of listener questions. They were left out because the podcast would have been a good 6 hours long otherwise. They'll be back, so no worries.

After months of weekly Detroit Tigers talk, and 23 episodes, the Bless You Boys Podcast is ready to take a short hiatus. The BYB Podcast will return later in the year. Heck, we may even be back next week if the Tigers pull the trigger on a deal!

But the plan is to produce a show whenever news warrants, such as for free agency, trades, and the winter meetings. We'll then return to a weekly format in the spring.

So this being the final show for what could be a least a few weeks, we wanted to make sure the last regularly scheduled episode of the 2011 season was fully populated with editors. We were ultimately missing one, but made do.

Bless You Boys Podcast 23 has a run time of 1:14, and features managing editor Kurt Mensching, deputy editors Rob Rogacki, Allison Hagen, and Matt Wallace, along with your host, deputy editor Al Beaton.

Topics discussed included:

• Post playoff hangovers, who's got one?
• Who's watching the World Series?
• Tony LaRussa is a...he is...what the...Honestly, we don't have an explanation for his World Series game 5 shenanigans.
• Dave Dombrowski, MLB Commissioner?
• Most memorable moment of 2011.
• Most forgettable moment of 2011.
• We name our players of the year!
• Possible off season strategies, will it involve trades or free agency?
• Which players would be make good trade bait?
• Listener questions were all over the place, including: Injury updates, Granderson trade winners and...winners, stop second guessing Jim Leyland, to tender or non-tender Delmon Young, middle relief, 2012 payroll and we hear rumors about chicken and beer.

Final thoughts: Thank yous all around, it's a podcast love-fest!

In this episode, the number of times Brandon Inge was mentioned is...well, just once. We won't ever have a BYB Podcast without Binge....though there are times when we wouldn't mind it.

The ALCS takes a break, giving the staff of Bless You Boys time to crank out our 22nd podcast. And we finally have other editors joining Al and Kurt to talk about the Tigers- Rangers ALCS. 4 talking heads are better than 2!

Bless You Boys Podcast 22 runs 1:12 and features managing editor Kurt Mensching, deputy editor Rob Rogacki, and your host, deputy editor Al Beaton. Everyone's favorite pontificating run differential zealot, David Tokarz, joins the podcast about 30 minutes into the show.

Topics discussed included:

• How are the editors holding up after another stressful series
• Did Joe Posanski throw Justin Verlander under the bus in his media takedown?
• Miguel Cabrera's double off 3rd base, just plain lucky or bounces evening out?
• Injuries are not an excuse, they are a fact.
• Tigers' starters are out pitching the Rangers' starters...but the Tigers are down 3-2.
• Grading Jim Leyland's post season.
• Name your Tigers' ALCS MVP  through 5 games. The 3rd base bag gets a vote.
• Listener questions ran the gamut: Odds of winning the ALCS, lineup black holes, channeling your inner Mlive.com commenter to point fingers, Ryan Raburn, fearing Nelson Cruz, Austin Jackson's struggles, the Cruz - Verlander "staredown", the Tigers' bullpen playing in an NL park, a eulogy for Magglio Ordonez and JonMoz's contributes another lightning round!

In case you were wondering, we managed to get in several mentions of Brandon Inge. We won't ever have a BYB Podcast without Binge.

Final thoughts: David likes him some Dave Dombrowski, Rob welcomes newcomers, Kurt is damn hungry, and Al doesn't miss TBS.

We LOVE to hear from you. If you would like to have your question on next week's podcast, please email us at BYBPodcast at Gmail.com.

The one day of downtime between series allowed us to recover just enough to put together an ALDS review/ALCS preview/TBS bitchfest, otherwise known as the Bless You Boys Podcast!

A skeleton crew recorded BYB Podcast 21, with a  run time of 1:06. This week the podcast features managing editor Kurt Mensching and your host, deputy editor Al Beaton.

Topics discussed included:

• TBS is awful, incompetent or more likely, both.
• What an emotionally draining series!
• There was too much love for Curtis Granderson.
• Did theYankees' Joe Girardi panic? Was he out-managed by Jim Leyland?
• The Tigers' ALCS rotation.
• Are the Rangers a tougher matchup for the Tigers than the Yankees?
• There will be no changes in the Tigers' everyday lineup in the ALCS!
• Are you as tired of the “Beat down, underdog city of Detroit's spirit is raised by their sports teams” narrative as I am?
• Listener questions included rain delays, our ALDS MVP, Max Scherzer praise, stepping up in the next round, fearing Alexi Ogando, Al Alburquerque, lineup changes, the bullpen as a whole, we pick our NL favorite, and the return of the the lightning round!

And yes, we managed to squeeze in a mention or two of Brandon Inge. It's not a BYB Podcast without Binge.

Final thoughts: Kurt and Al shower the BYB community with praise!

After taking a very unexpected week off due to Al finding himself in the hospital (where I got to watch the Tigers clinch the Central), the Bless You Boys Podcast returns with a vengeance!

BYB Podcast 20 runs 1:04, featuring managing editor Kurt Mensching, deputy editor Allison Hagen and your host, deputy editor Al Beaton.

Topics discussed included:

• Where were you when the Tigers clinched?
• Scoreboard watching is fun!
• 2006 vs. 2011: Which Tigers team is better?
• Miguel Cabrera is not going to back into a batting title...unlike a certain Mets shortstop.
• Post season worries, is there a tiny voice in your head saying, "Uh oh."
• Who's on and who's off the 25 man ALDS roster?
• Does MLB really need another round of playoffs?
• Listener questions ran the gamut and included Top 5 lists, the Tigers' offense against top-tier pitching, 5 and 7 game playoff matchups, you be the 8th inning manager, X-Factors, Red Sox are desperate for a starter, AL and NL awards predictions, must an MVP come off a playoff team, catching and 3rd base in 2012 (we need our weekly dose of Brandon Inge), reviewing "Moneyball," and we give fashion advice.

Final thoughts: Allison is biding her time till Friday, Kurt says Mike Scioscia was right , and Al is ready for more podcasts!

We LOVE to hear from you.If you would like to have your question on next week's podcast, please email us at BYBPodcast at Gmail.com.

We go with a slightly different format for this week's podcast. The first 30 minutes are Kurt and Al having a great time talking all things baseball, from the Tigers, Justin Verlander for MVP, playoff scenarios, 250 pitching wins are the new 300, to Alice Cooper's favorite team and Baroque's stuffed praying mantis, with Ryan Wagner of the MLB Fan Cave.

Ryan's job, along with Mike O'Hara, is to watch all 2,430 regular season MLB games this season, plus all post season games, which would be the dream job of any baseball fan!

On Twitter, the Fan Cave is @MLBFanCave, and you can like them on Facebook as well. On Twitter, Ryan is @RWags614, Mike is @Mikeyoh21. We'd also like to thank MLB and the Detroit Tigers for helping to set up the interview!

After our interview with Ryan,we welcome back to the podcast the Enforcer, Allison Hagen, to discuss the past unbelievable week of Tigers baseball.

The Bless You Boys podcast 19 runs 1:12 this week, and features deputy editor and host Al Beaton, managing editor and no longer curmudgeony Kurt Mensching, and the bullet point hating deputy editor known as Allison Hagen.

Topics kicked around included:

• We're at a loss for words after another amazing comeback, just reveling in the winning streak.
• How important is it for the Tigers to nab home field in the ALDS?
• SBNation's Rob Neyer thinks the Tigers are a two man team.
• Will we see more of Jim Leyland playing his infamous Sunday lineup down the stretch?
• Who gets a playoff roster spot, Carlos Guillen or Brad Penny?
• Do you believe in the Sports Illustrated cover jinx?
• Listener questions included topics such as: Postseason rings, the possibility of a fan letdown after the streak ends, just screw it and go for it, thinking outside the box in regard to interleague play, and cleansing the palate of September's past.

Final thoughts: Allison is waiting for October, Kurt plays a lightning round, and Al is going to miss Ozzie Guillen's craziness.

Save for some pontificating...and David cooking dinner in the middle of recording....this week's Bless You Boys Podcast was finished in time for Al and Rob to watch the NFL game! It's easy when everyone is in a great mood after one of the best weeks of Tigers baseball in recent memory!

The podcast runs 1:16, and features host Al Beaton, managing editor and burgeoning curmudgeon Kurt Mensching, voice of reason Rob Rogacki,and Chef David Tokarz.

Topics discussed include:

• As a Tigers fan, can you remember a better week?
• So...is the Central race really, truly over?
• Post season expectations, good or bad?
• ALDS tickets on sale this Monday!
• Setting up a post season rotation, who's in, who's out?
• Should Justin Verlander be rested?
• Brennan Boesch has surgery, will he be missed at some point?
• The community came through with plenty of discussion topics, including: Possible playoff schedules, AL manager of the year, revisiting the contract extensions of Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland, the worth of Delmon Young, Young's future as a Tiger, hating on Brad Penny, ranking the AL and NL playoff contenders, World Series hypotheticals, rushing Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry to the bigs, nervousness when watching Porcello, hitting and turning double plays!

Final thoughts: Bad weather, more prospect stuff, keep the NFL out of my baseball season, say "YES" to football, Al's Lions blog...and baseball too!.

No hiccups this time, as episode 16 of The Bless You Boys Podcast was completed in one take!

The podcast runs 1:20, and features editors Al Beaton, Rob Rogacki, Matt Wallace, and back from the wilds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Kurt Mensching.

Topics discussed include:

• Rules for playoff rosters.
• Who could be on the 25 man playoff roster?
• Meet Luis Marte!
• Jon Matlack, long-time Tigers minor league pitching coordinator, was dismissed.
• Jim Leyland dismisses Justin Verlander's AL MVP chances, then backtracks.
• Leyland asked the hot hitting Ramon Santiago to sac bunt in the 1st inning Wednesday. Stupid, idiotic, or both?
• Let's Go Tribe trolling Tigers fans on Twitter.
• Listener questions, and lost of them, including: Roster moves, Andy Dirks, the thumb injury to Brennan Boesch, consistent pitching, bears eating outfielders, Timo Perez, magic numbers, double digit winning pitchers, the Tigers' lame Arizona Fall League roster, possible playoff matchups, the 2012 bullpen, 2012 2nd and 3rd base (where we managed to squeeze in our weekly Brandon Inge discussion), where to meet other Tigers fans when living out of state, fandom of other teams, and name your own at bat music!

Final thoughts: Profane fans, Doug Fister vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, come to the UP (but not near Kurt), Indians obsession, saying goodbye to Tom Kowalski.

It took two attempts and far too much time, but Bless You Boys Podcast 16 is in the books. I screwed up on the first recording, and rather than skip a week or try later in the week, we immediately fired up and tried again. All for you listeners! So if we sound a little tired toward the end...blame me.

The podcast runs 53:12 and features editors Al Beaton, Allison Hagen, Rob Rogacki, the long missing David Tokarz, and our special guest, Scott Rogowski, aka Rogo of Designate Robertson!

Again, I apologize for my screw up, as I lost a damn good conversation. Thanks to Rogo and the other editors, I hope we managed to pick up the pieces!

Topics for this week include:

• Tigers win 6 of 7, sweep the Tribe, take 3 of 4 from the Rays.
• Twins trade Jim Thome to the Indians. Too little, too late?
• Did Brandon Inge make the right decision on the walk off fielder's choice, and was his arrogance about it off-putting?
• Does Inge really serve a role on the Tigers?
• Brad Penny bitches about Sean Rodriguez's hustle, called out by the Rays' Joe Maddon..
• Scherzer, Porcello, Fister, oh my.
• Encouraged by the performances of Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth against the Rays?
• If Brennan Boesch is going to miss time with the thumb injury, who is the best internal replacement?
• Does a pitcher named David Pauley pitch for the Tigers, or am I only imagining it?
• Should Jose Valverde return as the closer in 2012, or are there internal options?
• We pick the Tigers' MVP.
• Only one listener question. What happened people?

Final thoughts: Exhaustion, picking on the missing Kurt, run differential, and bunting.