When the Detroit Tigers decided not to trade Tarik Skubal, some interesting questions about the future of the organization were raised. It was the right move not to trade him, but considering the package they could’ve landed in return, was this an indication that the Tigers plan to spend in the offseason?

Their embarrassing payroll is inexcusable for multiple reasons, and if the front office and ownership want to compete in the near future, it has to change.

They can continue to allow young players to play, which they should continue to do, but they’ll also have to add some veterans into the mix that make sense on the roster.

Spending money this offseason to build a competent team around Skubal should be the plan. They have the best pitcher in baseball and with two more years of team control after this year, why not go out and try to compete with him?

The chances of making the postseason this season seem low, but it’s still been a stepping stone for 2025. There has been some impressive play throughout the campaign on both sides of the baseball and if some of their young players can continue to develop, they’ll be in a good position to even possibly contend one day.

An MLB executive told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that he understands why Detroit did what they did at the deadline. He even noted that they could be a team that does contend in the near future.

“I get the teams that made moves and why they made them, but I was more interested in the teams that didn’t do much,” an AL exec said. “If you’re the Tigers or Giants, you can squint and see a path to contention over the next couple years because they have good resources and some good young players.”

These are big words from the executive, but it just goes to show how impressive the Tigers have been at times. It hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows for them throughout 2024, currently 53-60 and 3-7 in their last 10 games, but there have been plenty of bright spots.

All that’s left at this point is for the front office to go out and add the right players. If they can find a way to do so in the offseason, one can make a strong argument that they might be one of the top teams in the American League and be in a position to win the Central.

A new documentary about the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers — to date, still the only Brewers team to play in a World Series — will have its big-screen debut exclusively at 12 Marcus Theatres in Wisconsin in September, Deadline.com reported Wednesday.

According to the entertainment industry news site, “Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers” will debut Sept. 13. According to Marcus Theatres, the movie will be shown at the Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, North Shore, Ridge and South Shore cinemas in the Milwaukee area; Bay Park, Oshkosh and Valley Grand cinemas in the Green Bay/Fox Valley area; Point Cinema in Madison; Renaissance Cinema in Sturtevant; and Sheboygan Cinema in Sheboygan.

“We are thrilled that we’re able to share this compelling, emotional and just plain amazing story with Brewers fans in Wisconsin, and especially grateful to our partners at Marcus Theatres for letting fans see the triumph and heartbreak of the magical ’82 season play out on the big screen,” “Just a Bit Outside” producer Kelly Kahl told Deadline.

“Just a Bit Outside” recounts the story of that improbable Brewers season, when after a sub-.500 start the team fired manager Buck Rodgers, replaced him with hitting coach Harvey Kuenn, and the veteran-laden team started to take off. Battling injuries, the team won the American League East title on the final day of the season, then came back to win the AL Championship Series and go to the World Series to face the St. Louis Cardinals.

Among those interviewed for the documentary, according to Deadline, are Brewers stars Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Gorman Thomas, Rollie Fingers, Ben Oglivie, Jim Gantner, Cecil Cooper and Pete Vuckovich, as well as then-owner Bud Selig and Hall of Fame announcer Bob Uecker.

The documentary also explores Milwaukee’s love affair with the ’82 Brewers, including spontaneous parades celebrating the team when they won — and when they lost.

“The story is about the love affair between a down-on-its-luck blue-collar city, and a perfectly matched blue-collar team … one that continues to this day, 40 years later,” the movie’s official website says.

Kahl and producer-director Sean Hanish are both Wisconsin natives. Kahl, former president of CBS Entertainment, was born in Burlington and is a University of Wisconsin-Madison alum. Hanish grew up in Brookfield and studied film at UW-Madison.

40 things you didn’t know (or maybe you did) about the Milwaukee Brewers’ 1982 run to the World Series

Forty years later, Milwaukee Brewers fans got another chance to remember the most memorable team in franchise history

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Hoping to establish a Minneapolis Labor Standards Board (MLSB) that would study new requirements for businesses in industries such as restaurants and hospitality, a march is planned on Wednesday to increase awareness of its proposed creation.

What we know

Beginning at 3 p.m., Minneapolis City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury will lead the march that is said to “highlight multiple groups of workers who have seen their work standards go backwards while the cost of living has continued to rise.”

For more than two years, several Minneapolis leaders have backed the idea of creating the MLSB, which would study specific industries and worker protections.

The board would form subcommittees for specific industries, comprised of people that could include business owners, union members and elected officials. They could then propose new ideas for regulations within the industry studied.

The MLSB could not enact any proposed regulations themselves – those would need to go through the process of full city council approval.

But advocates for the board believe it would be a start, and result in ideas that could further propel workers’ rights in areas such as minimum wages, paid leave and scheduling.

At the march on Wednesday, workers from multiple industries plan to speak about why workers would benefit from the creation of the MLSB.

Proposal pushback

Not everyone is excited about the creation of a new board that could ultimately lead to more regulations.

In June, 40 restaurant owners, who operate 120 restaurants in Minneapolis, sent a letter to the Minneapolis City Council opposing the creation of the MLSB.

“The Labor Standards Board you have proposed does not acknowledge the challenges faced by BIPOC-owned businesses,” the letter said in part. “This action seems to aim to protect the BIPOC community, but this has been done without us and therefore is not for us. We are trying so hard to make it in Minneapolis and more changes and more regulations will not make it easier. When people who do not understand our business or the unique experiences and models we create add more regulations, it makes it difficult to survive.”

Several owners have decried additional regulations on an industry previously ravaged by COVID-19 restrictions, while noting margins in their business are already slim.

They’ve also criticized the idea that people who comprise the MLSB subcommittees might have no background in the industry.

A list of owners, and their establishments, that signed off on the letter includes: 

• Adam Witherspoon, The Greasy Spoon Syndicate
• Aditya Bhavani, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
• Amol Dixit, Hot Indian Foods & Bussin Birria Tacos
• Ann Ahmed, Kamma Hospitality – Lemon Grass, Lat14, Khâluna
• Ann Kim, Vestalia Hospitality – Kim’s, Young Joni, Back Bar, Hello Pizza, & Pizzeria Lola
• Chiafukam Okoroji, Bussin Birria Tacos
• Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai & Hola Arepa
• Courtney Henry, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
• Daniel del Prado, DDP Restaurant Group – Josefina, Macanda, Layline, Café Ceres, Cardamom, Colita, Martina, Rosalia, Bar Rufus, Blondette, Miou Miou, & Porzana
• Diane Moua, Dianes Place
• Gustavo Romero, Oro & Nixta
• Jared Brewington, Official Fried Chicken
• Jess Kelley, Ono Hawaiian Plates
• JJ Haywood, Pizza Luce
• John Ng, Sushi Dori
• Jorge Guzman, Pollo Pollo al Carbon, Petitie Leon & Chilango Mex-Tex
• Justin Baylor, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
• Justin Sutherland, J. Sutherland Concepts
• Kamal Mohamed, Step Chld Khalid Ansari, Baba’s Hummus House & Mana’eesh Bakery
• Kim Tong, All Saints Leo Judeh, Shish Bistro Lina Goh, Zen Box Izakaya
• Lonnie J McQuirter, 36 Lyn Refuel Station
• Margo Roberts, Alma & Brasa
• Melissa Kennedy, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
• Michael Shaughnessy, Pink Ivy Kitchen and Bar Nettie Colón, Red Hen GastroLab
• Pedro Wolcott, Guacaya Bistreaux
• Peter & Linda Bian, Saturday Dumpling Co. Rolando Diaz, Marna’s Catering
• Saed Wadi, World Street Kitchen & Milkjam Creamery
• Sameh Wadi, World Street Kitchen & Milkjam Creamery
• Sanjeev Azad, Lake and Bryant Café
• Sean Sherman, Owamni by The Sioux Chef Tammy Wong, Rainbow Restaurant
• Tim Baylor, Independent Owner/Operator McDonald’s Minneapolis
• Tracy Wong, My Huong Kitchen
• Viorica Shaughnessy, Pink Ivy Kitchen and Bar
• Warren Seta, Ono Hawaiian Plates
• Yia Vang, Union Hmong Kitchen, Vina