Tag Archives: Max Scherzer

Ready to Roar 2.0

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Tigers celebrate Jhonny Peralta’s walkoff homerun to beat the White Sox 5-4 Friday.

“Get to .500, then we can talk.” So goes the ancient baseball adage and so go the Tigers who finally seem to have righted the ship after taking a tight series from the White Sox this weekend to move to 14-13.

I wrote a similar post around this point in the season a year ago about how the Tigers were looking like they were about to separate themselves from the rest of the AL Central and I don’t need to point out how correct I was, but I’m about to do it anyway—sorry about that.

After 27 games in 2011, the Tigers were actually in worse shape with a 10-15 record.  They had suffered through being swept at home by the Mariners just as they have this season, but began turning things around after taking a series from the White Sox.  Sound familiar? Detroit went 85-52 from that point on to cruise to their first division title since 1987 by 15 games. Now it’s looking like history is repeating itself.

The Tigers could be using the Sox as a launching pad once again as 17 of their next 24 games come against sub-.500 ball clubs including Seattle, Chicago, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Boston.  The only exceptions are Oakland and Cleveland who are both bound to come back to earth.

Detroit’s starting pitching had struggled until last week when they combined to give up only 12 runs while eating 40 innings over six games for a 2.70 ERA. Justin Verlander‘s 2-1 record doesn’t reflect his repeat Cy Young performance thus far, averaging almost 7 2/3 innings per start with a 2.38 ERA and .184 batting average against. Rookie Drew Smyly has been dominant with a 1.61 ERA over his first five starts so more consistency from Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer coupled with the return of Doug Fister from the DL to face his former teammates in Seattle tonight suddenly give the Tigers one of the deeper rotations in the game.

There’s no need to fret about a Tigers offense that has sputtered at times this year.  There’s simply too much talent there to flounder all season. PV is a lot more worried about Prince Fielder than I am since he’s sure to improve on his already solid .300 AVG, four HRs and 13 RBI as he gets more and more familiar with American League pitching. Jhonny Peralta finally got his first bomb of the year in spectacular walkoff fashion Friday night. Austin Jackson is showing vastly improved plate discipline and  Miguel Cabrera is simply Miguel Cabrera—on pace for 42 HRs and 132 RBI.

The defense hasn’t been nearly the issue that most pundits predicted it would be before the season started as they currently rank in the top third in the Majors in fielding percentage. However, the bullpen does tend to make me throw up in my mouth at times as the back end has been anything but impressive.  Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit are simply allowing way too many base runners (1.82 and 1.86 WHIPs respectively) and need to get back to the numbers on the back of their bubblegum cards.  When they do, we’ll be seeing a repeat of 2011′s runaway victory in the AL Central.

Opening Day: 21 out of 22

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Drinking a winner this morning.

It’s an exciting morning for me, it’s Opening Day at US Cellular Field. The moment we hit the new year I start thinking about Opening Day. It’s almost hard for me to believe that we’re just a week into the 2012 baseball season, I’ve watched so much baseball already.

This will be my 21st Opening Day out of the last 22, I missed one about six years because I was in Vegas for an event that was cancelled. It was Vegas, so I can’t complain. I’ve seen Detroit open the home season for the White Sox a few times, and the Sox are 1-4.

Who could forget the 16 – 0 beating that the Tigers gave the Sox for the inaugural game at New Comiskey Park, that was the name when it opened. The next two games were dramatic with tons of scoring, an 8-7 win in 1997 and 10-9 in 2001, both wins for the Tigers.

Finally, in 2003 the Sox won 5-2, and pretty much dominated their home opener for the last decade plus. They’ve only lost two home openers since 2000, and they have a good chance of keeping that streak intact today.

While the Tigers looked unbeatable the first week of the season, they have some weaknesses in their starting pitching. For example, Max Scherzer is pitching today with his 23.62 era against a Sox line-up that just lit-up Justin Masterson in Cleveland on Wednesday. What the Tigers were able to overcome in the Red Sox series was bad pitching by outscoring the Red Sox with two come from behind victories. Those types of wins will be more difficult to come by against the White Sox who have one of the best bullpens in baseball in the early season, allowing only 3 earned runs over 12 innings pitched. In contrast, the Tigers bullpen has been taxed early with 22.1 innings pitched already allowing 8 earned runs. That could help the White Sox overall in this series.

Jake Peavy who gets the start today pitched the Tigers out the division win a few years ago. Peavy has a lifetime 3.30 era against the Tigers allowing only 15 runs over 5 games. I like our chances today.

No matter the outcome today it will be a fun day at the ballpark with the temperature in the mid-60′s, and the Sox looking to move into a first place tie with the Tigers. That’s right, the AL Central is on the line today. Well, not really since it’s only April 13, but I’m not expecting to be able to type “the first place White Sox” a lot this season so I’m going to savor it. Let’s go White Sox!

Reyes would look good in a Tigers jersey

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With close to $30 million coming off the top of what was already a relatively modest 2011 payroll of $106 million, the Tigers are in a great position to go after New York Mets’ superstar shortstop Jose Reyes this offseason if they so choose—and I hope they do so choose.

The leadoff spot should be the Tigers’ number one priority this offseason. A backup catcher, middle relief and second base are definitely other issues the Tigers need to address, but those are relatively easy to solve by comparison. The 1-hole was the glaring weakness in what was otherwise a very potent offense, finishing in the top four in the Majors in just about every category this season.

While Austin Jackson is a very talented young player, his 181 strikeouts and a .317 OBP just didn’t cut it as a leadoff hitter. He will be better served batting later in the order under less pressure. Reyes, on the other hand, would be the proverbial straw that stirs the Tigers’ drink as a prototypical leadoff hitter they have lacked. The reigning NL batting champ would provide the consistent bat and speed at the top of the order that would drive opposing pitchers inane and spark an already dangerous offense.

Acquiring Reyes would also help solve Detroit’s ongoing 3B issue by sending All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta over to the hot corner. Peralta is no stranger to third. The Indians moved him there—albeit begrudgingly—in 2009 as part of a rebuilding project that eventually led to him being traded to the Tigers. His acerbic relationship with then-Indians’ manager Eric Wedge and the losing atmosphere in Cleveland led to his discontent, but neither would be issues in Detroit.  Manager Jim Leyland and Peralta have a strong relationship, plus he would only have to look across the diamond at reigning AL batting champ Miguel Cabrera for an example of a star player whose ego wasn’t bruised by moving from his preferred position to make the team better.

The expiring contracts of Magglio Ordonez ($10M), Carlos Guillen ($13M), Brad Penny ($3Ml), Joel Zumaya ($1,4M), and Ramon Santiago ($1.25M) coupled with GM Dave Dombrowski’s shrewd construction of a talented young roster with few obvious flaws gives the Tigers a lot of flexibility going into this offseason. Granted, the club still needs to deal with arbitration-eligible pieces like Delmon Young, Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer, Phil Coke, Ryan Perry, and Don Kelly and faces a pay raise to Justin Verlander, but those deals will still leave them far under the $130 million owner Mike Ilitch has shown he’s been willing to spend on more than one occasion.

Ilitch himself sounds ready to pounce. The 82-year-old billionaire owns a vast pizza empire and four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, but nearing the end of his life, he now covets a World Series ring more than anything. In recent interviews, he’s made it clear he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get one.

“I’m challenged to keep it there like the Yankees and the Red Sox. I haven’t totally zeroed in on our payroll yet. What I’m still trying to figure out is what we need for next year. I want to be in a position to make one or two additions, and generally, they’re pretty big additions.”

The timing couldn’t be better as the Tigers have never been so stacked with young talent and are poised to contend for years to come. One or two “big additions” should be all it would take to put them over the top. If Ilitch—and this Tigers fan—gets his way, Reyes #7 jerseys could be the hottest-selling gifts this Christmas in the Motor City.

2011 Tigers postmortem: Top 5 moments

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It might be easy to forget what an incredible season the Tigers had in 2011 after such an embarrassing ALCS Game 6 loss to a clearly superior Rangers ball club, but there’s no way I’m going to let that happen. A season in which the Tigers won their first division tille since the Reagan era by a colossal 15 games contained a million indelible moments—here are my top 5:

5. September 28 vs. CLE: Valverde goes 49 for 49
Needless to say, Jose Valverde is a polarizing figure.  His antics on the mound and entering games make opponents seethe with anger and Tigers fans revel in his ridiculousness.  He puts a few to many runners on base for my taste, but no one can deny that his 2011 season was entertaining, effective, and extraordinary. Closing the season at Cleveland with his franchise-record and league-best 49th save after giving up a hit and a stolen base while striking out two was a perfect microcosm of the rollercoaster of emotions Papa Grande put Tigers fans through all year long.  It was never easy, but somehow he always got the job done.

4. September 14 vs. CWS: Tigers win 12th in a row
To win 12 games in a row is a huge accomplishment, but to do it against your division rivals at crunch time to put the division title out of reach is quite remarkable.  On August 29th the Tigers held a tenuous 5-game lead over the White Sox followed by the Indians only a half game behind the Sox. Two weeks later, the race was over after the Tigers swept the the Indians, Twins and finally the White Sox (twice). I was fortunate enough to witness the 11th win firsthand—a 5-0 shellacking by Verlander and crew—the night before the coup de grâce. Coming back from a three-run deficit in the 9th on pinch-hit home runs from Ryan Raburn and Alex Avila then sealing the deal on a Carlos Guillen’s RBI single in the 10th put an exclamation point on the Tigers’ dominating run.

3. September 3 vs. CWS: Tigers come back from 7-down to win 9-8
In many ways, the Tigers ended all their AL Central division foes’ hopes for 2011 with their miraculous 9-8 victory over the White Sox on September 3rd. After trailing by as many as seven runs, the Tigers comeback culminated with a game-tying, two-run homer from Ryan Raburn followed by a stunning walk-off homer from Miguel Cabrera in the 9th. The soul-crushing defeat sent the White Sox spiraling downward as they gave up 18 runs the following night. The improbable victory sent the Tigers well on their way to eventually win 12 in a row and finally clinch their first division crown in 24 years.

2. May 7 vs. TOR: Verlander throws second career no-hitter
Justin Verlander’s 2011 season will go down as one of the greatest individual performances in Major League history. Leading the league in Wins, ERA, Strikeouts and WHIP will not only give him the Cy Young, but it would be a crime if it didn’t also land him the MVP, which I have been campaigning for for months. But when you add in his no-hitter against the Blue Jays in which he only issued an 8th inning walk to spoil a perfect game, the notion that he doesn’t deserve the MVP is simply asinine.  24-5 record, 2.40 ERA, 250 Ks, 0.92 ERA, .192 BAA—’nough said.

1. October 6 vs. NYY: Tigers win ALDS-clinching Game 5
Winning any playoff series is a big deal.  Winning a playoff series in a deciding Game 5 on the road in front of the largest crowd in new Yankee Stadium history is a whole different animal, but that’s exactly what the Tigers did. Unheralded utility player Don Kelly and waiver-wire pickup Delmon Young went yard on consecutive pitches to stun the Yankees in the 1st inning.  Doug Fister went five strong, giving up just one run on five hits to the formidable Yankees lineup. Victor Martinez’ two-out RBI single to score Austin Jackson proved to be the game  winning as Max Scherzer, Joaquin Benoit and Valverde combined to lock down the remaining gut-wrenching, heart-in-your-throat four innings to take the Tigers frist winner-takes-all game in a postseason series since 1968.

Though it ended on a sour note, 2011 was a great year for the Tigers and should prove to be the start of a long run of dominance over the AL Central.  With a strong staff of young pitchers under contract for the next several years, a nucleus of young hitters that collectively ranked in the top five offenses in the game and with money to spend in the offseason after the contracts of Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Brad Penny and Joel Zumaya come off the books, the tank is full and the gas pedal is mashed to the floor in the Motor City.

It was the best of times…

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The Lions’ complete dismantling of the Bears certainly helped, but to completely get over Nelson Cruz‘ 11th-inning, walk-off grand slam (the first in MLB postseason history) which put the Tigers down 2-0 in the ALCS is going to take some time. The majestic shot off of “reliever” (in the loosest sense of the term) Ryan Perry was so monstrous that I had plenty of time to judge it’s apocalyptic trajectory and switch over to the start of the Lions game before the ball landed safely into the sickeningly jubilant throng in Arlington’s left field bleachers.

To even get to that point was an adventure.  First, the game was originally scheduled for Sunday night, but was inexplicably cancelled four hours before game time due to rain.  The only thing is IT NEVER RAINED.  So the game was moved to late afternoon on Monday when most people are actually working.  Added to Games 4 and 5* (*if necessary) that are already scheduled for the late afternoon in Detroit and you have a situation where most of the fanbases of the Rangers and Tigers won’t be able to watch the majority of the ALCS.  And Commissioner Bud “Admiral Akbar” Selig can’t figure out why his TV ratings continue to plummet?

When the game finally began, the Rangers immediately jumped out to a 2-0 as I stewed in my office listening to ESPN’s shaky internet feed.  Meanwhile, the Tigers squandered chance after chance, stranding five runners on base in the first two innings. Finally, the Tigers capitalized on Derek Holland’s wildness and took the lead with a Ryan Raburn three-rum bomb. Max Scherzer then settled in and cruised through the 6th, at one point mowing down 12 straight Rangers.

Going into the bottom of the 7th, as I walked home from the train listening on my iPhone, I agreed with manager Jim Leyland’s decision to stick with Scherzer as he had thrown only 87 pitches. Facing the bottom of the order, I thought it was a good move to try not to tax a bullpen that is sure to be tested with no off days scheduled until Friday. Unfortunately, the bottom of the Rangers’ order includes the aforementioned Nelson Cruz who promptly deposited a ball over the wall in left to tie the game at three—a harbinger of the awful things to come…

I got home in time to watch Tigers relievers quiet the crowd and Texas’ bats until the Human Heart Attack, Jose Valverde entered in the 9th. The Big Potato immediately gave up a double to Adrian Beltre which then forced him to intentionally walk Mike Napoli. Valverde swiftly drilled Cruz in the wrist and chest, dropping the slugger to the ground and loading the bases with no outs.  I guess you might as well hurt the guy if you’re going to put him on base anyway, he just should’ve hit him harder.

Valverde has been infamously bad in non-save situations all year (5.79 ERA) so I thought I was reading the righting on the walls until he got David Murphy to fly out for the first out of the inning setting up the possibility of a game-saving double play.  With a grounder to first I was off my couch to witness Miguel Cabrera fire the ball home for one and receive it back from Alex Avila for two to complete the improbable 3-2-3 double play to cheat death.

Unfortunately, the great escape only prolonged the inevitable as the deeper Texas bullpen outlasted Detroit’s, eventually forcing Leyland’s hand to go with the 24-year-old Perry who really shouldn’t even be on a major league roster at this point with a 5.35 ERA in 37 innings this year. Cruz’ eventual soul-crushing blast wasn’t too difficult to see coming.

Yes, the Lions’ utter humiliation of the Bears certainly did help ease the pain of a critical Tigers’ defeat. But it doesn’t change that the Tigers essentially need to take all three upcoming games in Detroit, starting tonight, to have any chance of going to their 11th World Series in franchise history.

On to the ALCS!!!

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Now that the smoke has cleared and i’ve finally recovered from the three-and-a-half-hour heart attack of an incredible Game 5, I’ve had a little time to collect my euphoric thoughts.  First of all, PV hit it on the nose when he said I’d be drinking a victorious brew about 10:45pm on Thursday evening.  It was 10:43.  Plus, I hit it on the nose (bad night for that nose) when I said the Tigers would win the seires in 5 games because of their superior starting pitching depth.

Tigers starting pitchers combined for a 3.46 ERA over 26 innings compared to 5.18 over 19.1 innings for the Yankees over the course of the series.  If not for Curtis Granderson pulling off a couple of miracle catches in Game 4, it would’ve been a much wider margin.  Despite a shaky Game 1 relief appearance on Saturday, Doug Fister returned to his September AL Pitcher of the Month status last night, throwing five strong innings, getting key outs when he had to, and only giving up a solo shot to Robinson Cano. Rick Porcello went a solid six innings in his outing while Max Scherzer was back to his “ace-like” self, stymieing the Bronx Bombers to only one run over seven and a third with seven Ks between his two appearances.  Oh yeah, and there’s that Verlander guy—he’s pretty good.

So now it’s on to Texas for the Tigers’ second American League Championship Series in five years.  I was sad to learn that the series is moving to FOX from TBS where we were enlightened by color analyst Ron Darling and all his insightful gems like “pitching is importan in the postseason” and “I’m surprised Fister is going after Gardner like this with the bases loaded and a full count.”  Thanks Ron.  It says a lot about the value of a Yale education—they’ll give a degree to just about any douchebag. But I digress…

On to the Tigers/Rangers matchup where Detroit took six of nine regular season meetings, outscoring Texas by a 45-37 margin.  The Rangers have long been known for their prodigious power but have only recently put a priority on pitching under the leadership of team owner Nolan Ryan. It’s certainly worked for the reigning AL champs as this is their second ALCS in two years. However, as was the case with the Yankees, the Texas’ starting rotation simply doesn’t match the depth of that of the Tigers. Furthermore, Detroit’s right-handed-heavy lineup will feast on Texas primarily left-handed rotation.

Game 1 will feature that Verlander guy you may have heard of versus C.J. Wilson at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  Wilson had great numbers during the regular season, going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA and just over 200 strikeouts.  But he was absolutely rocked for eight runs (six earned) including three long balls by the Rays in his only appearance in the ALDS.  Look for huge games by Miguel Cabrera, Jhonny Peralta and Delmon Young against the lefty in that band box.

Beyond that, rotations haven’t been announced but Scherzer only threw want amounts to be a 32-pitch side session between starts last night so he’ll be more than ready for Sunday’s Game 2.  Fister would be fully rested for Game 3 on Tuesday and should finally be treated to a home start after being thrown to the wolves of Yankee Stadium twice in the last week.  Leyland’s seemingly insane plan to hold Verlander out of last night’s game may prove to be a genius move, keeping the soon-to-be MVP very rested and available to possibly start Games 4 and 7* (*if necessary) in addition to Game 1 on reasonable rest.

I’m sticking with what worked for me in the ALDS and picking the Tigers to win in five again and make their second World Series in five years.  Let’s just hope the outcome is a little kinder this time (and hope the Cardinals lose tonight!).

We’ve only just begun…

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Perhaps lost in the malstrom of Wednesday night’s epic finishes and equally epic collapses on THE GREATEST NIGHT IN MLB REGULAR SEASON HISTORY is the fact that Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera won the American League batting title with a .344 average.

He joins pitching Triple Crown winner Justin Verlander (24 Ws, 2.40 ERA, 250 Ks—oh yeah, and he had the top WHIP of 0.92 for good measure) and Saves leader Jose Valverde (49 of 49) on one of the greatest Tigers rosters in the history of the illustrious franchise.

Winning 95 games for the 10th time in their 110 seasons, Detroit has fared quite nicely against each of the remaining AL teams. Of those 95 wins, 14% came against New York (4-3), Texas (4-2) and Tampa (5-1). They also come into the playoffs as the hottest team in the Majors, going 30-9 down the stretch.

But this is only the beginning.  Regular season accomplishments and accolades are meaningless if you don’t get it done on the big stage in the playoffs and it doesn’t get any bigger than Game 1 tonight in the Bronx.

Many have lamented the Tigers’ loss of home field advantage to Texas by one game, forcing them face the hallowed Yankees in the frist round. But this actually works to the Tigers’ advantage as they will only have to beat them three times in the shortened Division series instead of four in the ALCS.  They’re going to have to face them at some point so why not make it easier on themselve?  We only have to look back to 2006 to see it can work as the Tigers dismantled another 97-win Yankees club, three games to one.

As we all know, pitching wins championships and tonight’s heavyweight battle between Verlander and CC Sabathia should prove to be one for the ages. I could analyze the stats forever but the simple fact is JV-MVP is just better than CC and should prevail.  However, even if  the 2011 Cy Young winner falters or Tigers bats go quiet versus Carsten Charles, Detroit’s superior pitching depth will prove to be too much for the Yankees to handle.

Game 2 will feature September’s AL Pitcher of the Month Doug Fister versus an impressive, yet inexperienced 24-year-old Ivan Nova.  The matchup favors Detroit once again with Fister sporting a 2.83 ERA and 1.06 WHIP vs. Nova’s 3.70/1.33.  No contest.

Monday’s Game 3 is where things get really interesting when the Tigers return home sending the mysterious heterochromiac Max Scherzer to the mound against Sweaty Freddy Garcia. We’re never sure if we’ll get Good Max when he’s using his blue eye or Bad Max when his brown eye takes over, but he always has the potential to dominate.  Garcia had been known as s Tigers killer throughout his career, but that reputation hasn’t held true lately as he’s 0-3 vs. Detroit since last September.

But the real key to Game 3, and possibly the whole series will actually be the off day, Sunday.  As long as Tigers’ brass can keep Garcia’s sweaty mits off his Venezuelan buddy Miguel Cabrera and out of any of the saloons the two used to haunt, the Tigers should be just fine.

If the Tigers need a fourth game, manager Jim Leyland has already announced he won’t send Verlander out on three days’ rest so it’ll be Rick Porcello vs. C.C. Sabathia.  I don’t like that matchup at all so let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.  But it it does, the Tigers have the ultimate ace in the hole with Verlander waiting in the wings on his normal five days’ rest to face a completely overmatched Ivan Nova on short rest.  In the immortal words of the tiger-blooded Charlie Sheen: “WINNING!”

Final verdict: The Tigers’ superior pitching depth will prevail. I’ll be conservative and take the Tigers in 5.

Off the schneid

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Welcome back Danks.

When  I wrote my preseason predictions I never thought on June 7 that I’d be celebrating John Danks’ first victory of the season, but I am! John, congrats on a win longtime coming that included blown saves, little run support, and honestly some terrible pitching from you a few of the outings, but it’s over now. So is the Sox two games losing streak as they continued their dominance of the Seattle Mariners with a 3-1 victory last night at a balmy US Cellular Field.

Maybe Adam Dunn and Alex Rios will get some inspiration from Danks getting his first win of the yea and they will start hitting some bombs. Dunn seems closer than ever with some pretty long foul balls and sharply hit balls the last four home games. Rios has been off the last two days to clear his head, but did score a run when he replaced Carlos Quentin in the eighth inning after CQ hit an AL leading 20th double. Santos made quick work of the Mariners and notched his 11th save of the year in 12 chances. He is arguably the most dominant closer in baseball at the moment.

The Sox look to continue their dominance over the Mariners tonight as the square-off against Felix Hernandez tonight. The Sox had a chance to beat Hernandez in Seattle earlier this year, but let it get away kind of like their game against Verlander on Saturday night. The Sox will send Phil Humber to the mound with his 3.06 ERA and .93 whip, those numbers are equal to King Felix’s 3.02 ERA and 1.12 whip; it should be a dandy. Relax, sit back, and strap it down, White Sox baseball tonight at 7:10pm.

NOTE: Scherzer stunk it up again for the Tigers last night, only going five innings and allowing five runs. The Tigers put up 11, so he got the win. Ace? Not. 

MLB Network agrees, Scherzer IS an Ace

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Sorry I couldn’t figure out how to flip the video over, but MLB Network hosts Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds agree that Max Scherzer is an ace—I’m not the only one.  I’d love so see some evidence of ANYONE agreeing with Pete that Phil Humber is close to the same level.

Humber ace, Scherzer not?

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Sox have an ace in the hole.

The great Max Scherzer failed another test in his young career, he was unable to control one the best hitting teams in baseball (Red Sox #4), while Phil Humber controlled one of the best hitting teams in baseball (Blue Jays #7) last night. I ask you, who is the ace? Neither is proven, they are both unseasoned and have had ups and downs in their careers with Scherzer’s far more promising as of late, that was until Don Cooper stepped in.

Cooper has worked his magic and Phil Humber has put together solid numbers for the Sox, in fact better numbers than Max Scherzer. Humber’s 3-3 with a 2.85 ERA and a whip of only 0.93, while Scherzer sits at 6-2 with a 3.86 ERA and whip of 1.47. Interestingly enough, Scherzer has two more starts under his belt, yet he’s only pitch 5.1 innings more than Humber. It gets even better for Humber, he’s only allowed 43 hits while Scherzer has allowed 70 hits, and Scherzer has walked 26 to Humber’s 13.

I only bring this up because of Smitty blogging about Scherzer being a “proven ace,” and at this point I’d take Humber over Scherzer in a heartbeat, wouldn’t you?