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In Episode 6 of Season 3 Mike welcomes his friend of many passions and interests, Lance Havelka, onto the podcast.  The guys hit on a range of topics, including their time in Los Angeles, what drew them both back to the Detroit area and their love of the Motor City along with some of its more underrated establishments.   Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S3E6 1:45: Mike comes clean on two HUGE corrections from past episodes, including one from S3E4 (the Nick Hopwood Episode) related to financial movies and one from S3E5 (the James Park episode) related to the Kansas hoops player who will live in infamy for getting shot over by Trey Burke in the historic 2013 Sweet 16 victory by Mike’s beloved Michigan Wolverines. 4:15: Mike then gives the listeners an update on his holiday to London, England and how amazing it was as well as two huge upcoming weekend trips. 6:00: Mike gives some background on this episode’s guest Lance Havelka and, in a tribute to Lance, talks about his favorite underrated Motown song. 12:30: Mike welcomes Lance Havelka into the virtual podcast studio. 13:20: Lance then tells the listeners about himself and what makes him tick, including an activity by activity breakdown of every day of his life as well as how he grew up in a classic suburban city that had more than ample shopping square footage.  17:00: Lance then talks about gaining an appreciation for whiskey from living in Scotland and became inspired to open his own distillery on the eastside of Detroit named Drexel Small Batch Spirits (www.drexelwhiskey.com). 23:45: Lance then breaks down who his oldest friend is and it’s a power trio, all initially formed through the power of sports! 30:00: The guys trace the origins of their friendship back in Los Angeles (including how impressed Lance was when Mike got from Downtown Los Angeles to Manhattan Beach solely via public transportation), as well as the last time they saw each other down in Eastern Market in Detroit. 39:00: Lance talks about what drew him back to Detroit from Scotland and LA and the origins of his love for the Motor City and the city’s spirit and essence. 43:50: The guys go through some of their underrated and underappreciated spots around Detroit they’ve both been together that has served as a real foundation of their friendship. 46:30: The Dakota Inn 50:10: Tom’s Tavern 53:30: The Stonehouse 56:00: The Two Way Inn 58:20: Baker’s Keyboard Lounge 1:02:00: The Raven Lounge 1:05:10: Lance breaks down his key to a good friendship. 1:07:45 What’s next for Lance and Drexel Spirits?  A LOT 1:09:00: Mike takes Lance through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Lance’s favorite Scotch, his favorite places in Los Angeles, the favorite place he’s ever traveled to that he’d like to get back to, and what keeps him in Detroit.

In S3E5 Mike welcomes his musical good buddy James Park onto the podcast where they discuss their mutual love of college hoops, music, the performance art form that is pub trivia and then take a deep (dish) dive on one of their favorite forms of sustenance: pizza. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S3E5 featuring Mike’s good buddy James Park. 1:30: Mike corrects a major pronunciation error he personally made in Episode 4.5 of Season 3. 3:00: Mike talks about what’s going on with him, which essentially doubles as a quick recap of Season 3 so far, including a reference to a recent walkabout he took in his neighborhood, and a hearty thank you to the listener community. 6:15: Mike then identifies a classic (literally) song that features an instrument James  knows really, really well in the violin as a tribute to James. 10:30: Mike welcomes James Park into the virtual podcast studio. 11:35: James gives his life story,  Mike brings up a touchy subject about how the NCAA left his hometown.  James then talks about his passion for music and the violin and why Ann Arbor is a great town for music. 17:20: James talks about his oldest and dearest friend (the infamous Rob/Robert) and the guys prove a math equation on friendship. 22:45: The guys talk about the last time they saw each other (spoiler alert: it was watching America’s national pastime). 26:00: The guys trace the origin of their friendship back to a single event, a very orderly but also fun work party in 2016 and what Mike was wearing to that party (a tuxedo tracksuit). 29:30: Mike and James talk a bit about their shared passion for the sport of college hoops, with James’ loyalties lying with a bird and Mike’s with a mammal.  They also get into a piece of memorabilia in Mike’s basement pub that requires a trigger warning for James before he sees it.  35:10: The guys then break down one of their all time favorite activities known as Pub Trivia/Pub Quiz and how their team Prune Tracy (EAT YOUR PRUNES!!) became legends in the late 2010’s around the Eastern Michigan trivia scene. 40:40: James throws down the infamous “7 Day Trivia Challenge” to Mike and he…..accepts! 44:00: The guys discuss one of their favorite shared foods (a little known delicacy known as pizza), how they fell in love with it, then break down their favorite pizza places they’ve ever been to.  The discussion covers a ton of ground on “pie”, including discussing why New Haven, CT is known as a pizza hotbed, where Mike would get pizza before school dances, where James would get pizza with friends while playing music and why they both love Chicago pizza. 48:00: Pizzeria Uno, Overland Park, Kansas 49:50: Bricks Pizza, Chicago, IL 52:15: Frist Campus Center on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, NJ 54:20: Little Caesars, Allen Park, MI (includes a non-sequitur from James on an amazing Japanese TV show called “Old Enough”) 59:00: Koronet Pizza, New York, NY 1:02:30: Buddy’s Pizza, Dearborn, MI 1:05:20: Modern Apizza, New Haven, CT 1:11:20: Frank Pepe’s, New Haven, CT 1:13:30: Pequod’s, Chicago, IL 1:17:00: James then drops some knowledge as to how to keep a friendship going. 1:19:00: James updates the listeners on what he’s excited about coming up in his life. 1:21:00: Mike takes James through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about when James' favorite music venues, his top feature of living in Ann Arbor, MI (spoiler alert: it’s not the roads), the trivia topic he feels most comfortable answering (including how he used to con his mom to get Little Debbie snacks in order to learn about US Presidents), and where he’d love to travel to soon that he’s never been to.

Mike kicks off another classic music-based “Point Fiver” where he discusses one of his favorite kinds of songs: songs based off of other songs aka cover songs aka cover jams. PPW (Poor Pronunciation Warning): Mike attempts to speak Italian and Cantonese in this episode.   Follow the podcast on Twitter at @friendsofmiked  Email the podcast with any questions or requests at talkingfriendship@gmail.com  Please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.  Please also rate and review the podcast.   Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 4.5 of Season 3. 2:10: Mike talks a bit more about the format for this Point Fiver on his favorite cover songs of all time. 4:40: Mike breaks down his favorite 20 cover songs of all time.

In Episode 4 of Season 3 Mike welcomes his all around solid (and financially savvy) friend Nick Hopwood onto the podcast to discuss travel mishaps around sporting events, a truly epic roaad trip to Miami, FL for the Orange Bowl and their favorite movies involving finance/the markets and why they're each amazing films. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S3E featuring Mike’s good friend Nick Hopwood. 1:50: Mike then corrects some major errors from past episodes, including S3E2 featuring Nick Kacher (specifically about a wrestler left off of the guys’ best wrestlers list, the true inspiration behind one of Nick’s classic failed nicknames, where they guys actually DID eat on their way back from Miami (OH) as well as a mistake from S3E2.5 featuring Ryan Lewin. 6:00: Mike then updates the listeners on a HUGE upcoming trip to London that was hugely helped plan by the amazing team at Wanderlark Travel (wanderlark.com) in Ann Arbor, MI. 8:30: Mike welcomes Nick Hopwood into the virtual podcast studio. 10:45: Nick then gives some background on himself and how he and his family recently moved to the fine city of Plymouth, MI and their new summer house in Pinckney, MI. 13:40: Nick then gives the listeners what they want: a deep give about his career in building his own business in Peak Wealth Management (www.peakwm.com). 16:20: Mike and Nick talk about how Nick also hosts his own podcast (The Retire WIth Confidence Podcast with Nick and Jim), which the Talking Friendship with Mike D podcast endorses as the TOP personal wealth podcast out there, as well as Peak Wealth’s sponsorship of leading University of Michigan sports fandom blog and podcast Mgoblog. 19:00: Nick then talks about who his oldest friend is and what’s made that friendship tick all of that year (GRAUF!). 21:30: The guys talk about the last time they saw each other in person which was in Madison, WI for Michigan’s drubbing of the Badgers and how Nick almost never made it out of Milwaukee for the game and then how he almost missed the Orange Bowl due to travel mishaps. 29:00: Mike and Nick then trace the origins of their friendship like amateur anthropologists, including joining the legendary IM Flag Football Team and hanging out at Mike’s college house, the BC. 33:02: The guys then discuss their epic road trip to Miami, FL to go to the 2000 Orange Bowl, just in time for the Willenium, including touching on Nick’s sweet Nextel cell phone, crashing in a bare bones apartment on hard tile floors, how they had no real set plans, being introduced to Roll Tide, partying with the band Blondie on South Beach on New Year’s Eve 1999, and the legend of of Richard “Rich” Grauf,   44:40: Mike and Nike talk about their feature film debut as actors in a classic, Oscar-nominated motion picture. 47:50: The guys then each rank their top 3 favorite movies of all time revolving around the stock market/high finance.   48:30: Glengarry Glen Ross 50:20: Boiler Room 54:00: Wall Street 57:20: The Big Short 1:00:25: The Wolf of Wall Street 1:03:00: Quicksilver 1:06:05: Nick gives his key to a good friendship 1:07:20: Mike takes Nick through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Nick’s favorite place to eat as a kid in Haslett, MI, favorite place to get late night food during undergrad at the University of Michigan, his all time favorite University of Michigan sports moment, and how he has a dream to take his family to Hopwood, England. 1:09:50: Nick turns the tables on Mike and asks him about Mike’s former main nickname of Danny Boy.

In Episode 3 of Season 3 Mike welcomes top notch Englishman and dear friend Ian Haynes onto the Podcast for an international discussion of philosophy, soccer/football, music, refreshments and of course, friendship. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S3E3 featuring Mike’s good friend Ian Haynes. 1:30: Mike corrects a major omission from S3E1’s discussion of Park Ave in Allen Park, MI and S1E4 guest John Baker.  Mike tries to mend a broken friendship fence with John. 3:15: Mike gives the listeners an update on what’s going on with him, including getting outside more AND getting hooked on the amazing new HBO show “We Own This City” from the creators of the Wire. 5:15: Mike introduces this episode’s guest Ian Haynes and discusses one of Ian and Mike’s mutually favorite musicians in English rocker Billy Bragg. 10:45: Mike welcomes Ian into the actual podcast studio where gives some background on Ian Haynes, the Man, his family, his origins in England and his precocious dog Biggles. 15:45: Ian talks about his best friend over the years (Nigel) and what’s kept their friendship going and how he’s Ian’s anchor for his “northerness”. 17:10: The guys talk about the last time they saw each other as well as their initial connection via the famed Ann Arbor Mug Club (and it’s one by-law). 23:30: Ian gives his philosophy on beer and the local beer scene (spoiler alert: he has strong opinions). 25:50: The guys talk about a recent field trip down to one of their favorite Detroit-based activities: Detroit City FC soccer and fowling in Hamtramck. 27:15: Mike and Ian then transition into discussing one of their true shared passions: soccer/football. 29:55: Ian goes over how he became a supporter of his favorite soccer club: Oldham Athletic. 35:20: Mike gives the listeners the backstory behind how he became a Tottenham fan. 40:00: The guys then proceed to count down each of their top 5 favorite soccer players in their lives and why. 40:40: Colin Bell 44:40: Jurgen Klinsman 47:50: Eric Cantona 52:50: Alexi Lalas 56:40: George Best 1:00:15: Landon Donovan 1:04:30: Denis Irwin 1:08:30: Son Heung-min 1:10:30: Andy Ritchie 1:15:30: Harry Kane 1:18:45: Ian then gives his key to a good friendship.  What an answer it is! 1:20:30: Mike takes Ian through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Ian’s favorite beers, favorite spots to eat in the Ann Arbor/Saline area, and where he wants to travel next with his wife Jane.

Mike kicks off the first “Point Fiver” of season 3.  This one involves Season 1 Episode 2 guest Ryan Lewin and Mike’s shared love of the band Bleachers and their catalog of catchy, heartfelt and inspirational pop-rock/indie-pop/amazing jams. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 2.5 2:00: Mike comes clean on a mistake from the previous episode (S3E2 featuring Nick Kacher) about the inspiration for Nick Kacher’s very popular (and still to this day frequently used) nickname “Special K”. 5:15: Mike goes over what a Point Fiver is. 6:50: Mike welcomes Ryan Lewin into the virtual podcast studio for this special Point Fiver episode. 8:00: Ryan gives a quick life update on what’s been going with him since he last appeared on the podcast. 12:00: The guys talk about their epic road trip to Lincoln, NE in the fall of 2021 to see a football game and strengthen their friendship. 14:30: Mike and Ryan then shift to the main topic of this Point Fiver: music and the band Bleachers, including key background on the band you can find nowhere else on the Internet. 19:45: The guys then go through each of their top 7 Bleachers songs via a draft. 14 songs total.  And they’re all…..amazing!

In Episode 2 of Season 3 Mike welcomes long time friend and trained wrestler Nick Kacher to the podcast to discuss a myriad of non-controversial but still edgy topics like nicknames, rollerblading in Ohio and wrestling. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S3EE featuring Mike’s good friend Nick Kacher 1:45: Mike teases the next episode of the podcast, which will be a Point Fiver! 2:45: Mike corrects a major error by his sister Colleen Tate in S3E1. 3:50: Mike then gives an update on his beloved Tottenham Hotspur Football (Soccer) Club. 6:50: Mike then gives a short intro of this episode’s guest Nick Kacher. 8:10: Mike welcomes Nick into the virtual podcast studio. 9:05: The guys discuss the origins of an old nickname for Mike D that Nick and a few others still refer to him as (DBoy). 10:00: Nick gives some background on himself as a person, including his life in Grand Rapids, MI and a bit about his youth in Iowa, including having to give up a burgeoning political career to move to Michigan. 15:50: Nick then talks about what’s been going on with him lately, including getting swole in his home gym as well as forcing his children and elderly father to exercise with him, watching his daughter crush it in youth soccer and a tradition known as Doughnuts and Documentaries. 21:30: Nick talks about the friends he’s been friends with longest and what’s made those friendships survive, including what it was like to move states and change schools as an 8th grader (it includes getting hit in the head with a can of Coke). 27:45: The guys talk about the last time they hung out in person and the penultimate time they hung out in person, along with their good friends (and U-M football greats) Charles Woodson and Jake Long.  They also discuss how the (not so) popular app Voxer keeps Nick and Mike in close contact (along with their friends Eric Lemieur (S2E6 guest) and Mike Cygan (S2E9.5.5 guest)). 33:25: The guys discuss the birth of their friendship back in the late 90’s. 43:00: Mike and Nick then discuss party hopping after a tough Michigan football loss their sophomore year with some buddies on the team and dealing with some obstacles. 45:50: Mike and Nick talk about playing actual football on the Michigan Stadium turf with their buddy Bill Alexander (S2E10 Guest). 47:10: The guys then talk about a road trip down to Oxford, OH to watch Nick wrestle that involves a crazy rollerblader in Wapakoneta, OH. 51:00: Nick talks about his memories of living in the famed BC house (341 E. Jefferson) in Ann Arbor, MI during college with Mike. 56:45: Mike and Nick talk about Nick’s attempts to create not one (Stroller) but two (Special K) nicknames for himself and how poorly this worked out. 59:35: Mike and Nick go DEEP on the sport of wrestling and Nick’s passion for it. 1:06:00: The guys then count down their top 5 favorite wrestlers of all time. 1:06:50: Tom Brands 1:08:00: Koko B. Ware 1:11:00: Ryan Bertin and Andy Hrovat 1:12:45: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan 1:16:40: Dan Gable 1:19:20: The Ultimate Warrior 1:23:40: Cael Sanderson 1:25:45: Randy “Macho Man” Savage 1:31:00: Jordan Burroughs 1:33:40: Hulk Hogan 1:40:30: Nick gives his philosophy on being a great friend 1:44:20: Nick talks about what he’s looking forward to coming up in his life. 1:45:20: Mike takes Nick through the (not so) Rapid Fire Segment, including Nick’s favorite spots in the state of Iowa, Jerks vs Gents golf, Nick’s signature wrestling move and his favorite activities to do with his kids.

In the Season 3 Premier Mike welcomes his sister (and friend) Colleen Tate onto the podcast for a heartfelt and hilarious conversation about growing up down the hall from each other and of course friendship. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S3E1 featuring Mike’s younger sister Colleen Tate. 1:35: Mike then introduces the plan for Season 3. 3:40: Mike then goes on to NOT correct any past mistakes (which was the result of negotiations w/ the podcast staff). 4:45: Mike talks the single greatest public transit option in the history of the world: the D2A2 connector from Ann Arbor to Detroit and vice versa. 6:50: Mike discusses a TV show he just cranked through named “Chad” that is guaranteed to make you really laugh but also learn about life. 8:30: Mike gives some background on this episode’s guest and pays her tribute as his sister through choosing a song to best encapsulate her essence. 13:55: Mike welcomes his sister Colleen into the virtual podcast studio with a classic joke he’s been making for years. 15:50: Colleen gives some background on herself, basically telling her entire life story and puts her brother on blast for originally being an MSU Spartan fan. 20:10: Colleen then talks about her two friends she’s been friends with the longest and why their friendship has thrived all of these years. 24:20: Mike and Colleen discuss the last time they saw each other in person including how well behaved Colleen’s sons were in Church, the absence of the Cabrini Church Cry Room and how a couple of young parishioners were really owning their recent First Communion Tribute March.28:00: Mike and Colleen talk about whether you can still call a meal “brunch” if it starts at 2:00 pm. 29:00: Mike and Colleen then discuss their first memories of each other, including a vicious He-Man/She-Ra toy rivalry. 31:00: Mike and Colleen then go through some of their favorite shared memories from their youth, starting with their dad Bill sanctioning a game of catch with a hardball that was not authorized by their mom Janet while “babysitting” his children. 34:05: Christmas in the Daniel household is recounted in hilarious detail by Mike and Colleen, including their parents’ approach to wrapping presents from Santa (e.g. very little effort in the wrapping but amazing effort in the gift procurement department) as well as how they both learned that Santa is (likely) not a current person alive in North Pole via some fake cousins (likely) hired from Craig’s List. 40:00:  Mike and Colleen go deep on school uniforms at St. Francis Cabrini as well as forced recess. 42:25: Mike and Colleen then discuss their memories of hanging out at Camp Dearborn with their families as kids, which involved playing with very little adult supervision, smelly slides and tons of great memories. 47:00: Mike and Colleen then go DEEP on their favorite streets in the all-American town of Allen Park, MI. Warning: if you’ve never been to AP this segment will make you feel like you grew up there yourself. 48:25: Quandt Ave 50:40: Reeck Road 53:20: Rose Dr 55:30: Andrews Ave 57:00: Park Ave 1:02:00: Champaign Rd 1:04:00: Wick Rd 1:05:05: Englewood Ave 1:08:40: McLain Ave 1:11:00: Colleen then discusses her philosophy on being a good friend as an adult. 1:12:00: Mike takes Colleen through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about her favorite place to eat in Allen Park as a kid (Mama Mia’s), her favorite vacations as kids (including how their dad got the nickname “Caption Man”), her favorite spot to grab food while a student at MSU, and her favorite activities with her sons, her favorite nicknames for her sons and ideal vacation spot for her family.

Mike kicks off a special off-season “point fiver” where he both gives an off-season update on his extremely exciting life, including on the high points that happened since the summer of 2021, touches on the plan for Season 3 and then discusses his top 10 favorite songs from 2021.   Follow the podcast on Twitter at @friendsofmiked  Email the podcast with any questions or requests at talkingfriendship@gmail.com  Please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.  Please also rate and review the podcast.  I’d really appreciate it and the podcast staff would appreciate it. Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 10.5. 2:15: Mike clears the air on the fact this is technically still an episode from Season 2 and then discusses the plan for Season 3. 4:15: Mike provides an update on what’s been going on with the Podcast since the most recent episode (S2E12) which dropped in the late summer of 2021, including staff moving on for various reasons, the Fall 2021 college football season, Tottenham soccer, Michigan basketball and  9:30: Mike talks about the format of this Point Fiver 11:30: Mike breaks down his favorite 10 songs of 2021.

In the Season 2 Finale (Episode 10) Mike welcomes his old dorm and college friend Bill Alexander into the virtual podcast studio for a rousing conversation about friendship and many other key life topics. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Season 2 Episode 10, the Season 2 Finale. 2:45: Mike corrects a few embarrassingly large mistakes from some recent episodes, including messing up a very basic video game code from the Nintendo game Contra. 5:20: Mike then gives the listeners an update on what’s been going on with him, including reciting an original poem titled “Ode to Tailgating” and then reflecting on Season 2 of the podcast and what it’s meant to him and the staff. 11:40: Mike welcomes the pride of Forest Hills Central High School, Bill Alexander, into the virtual podcast studio for a rousing conversation on friendship and life. 12:35: Bill gives the listeners a little background on himself and why he may be Grand Rapids’ #1 citizen as well as what he’s been doing recently, which is really project-based.  The guys also talk axe throwing. 17:10: Bill then breaks down the home arcade in his basement, which is amazing and the guys talk about some old video game battles, including Bill utilizing Christian Laettner to take Mike down. 19:00: Bill talks about a few of his oldest friends from growing up and what’s kept their friendship going. 20:40: Bill and Mike talk about the last time they hung in person, which was over a Michigan/MSU game at the Crisler Center with S1E1 Guest Todd Pretty.  Bill also references why he had to head back to Grand Rapids early to intimidate his daughter’s date. 23:40: The guys then retrace the origin of their friendship, including how Bill used to play the game Yahtzee for blood and a daring cross-campus bicycle ride. 29:50: Next up is going through some of Mike and Bill’s favorite memories of their friendship, starting with pledging the ultra exclusive and prestigious Pi Kappa Phi fraternity along with living in the fraternity house their Sophomore year. 35:00: The guys then discuss moving into the famed “BC” college house (located at 341 E. Jefferson) and “unleashing the Co-Op”. 39:45: The guys discuss some legendary pickup hoops game during college as well as their 5’10 and under IM team that multiple people talk about to this day that truly showed no mercy to their opponents. 43:00: the fellas touch on the Raiders flag football team that featured Bill’s custom playbook. 45:00: The guys then discuss moving to the Windy City after college and their creative use of the intercom system at the apartment on Southport, as well as how Bill’s original plan was to instead move to Wilmington, NC to be an extra on the TV show Dawson’s Creek. 48:40: Bill gives his philosophy on what makes a good friendship tick and what he’s excited about at the moment. 51:45: Mike takes Bill through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Bill’s favorite activities with his daughters, his favorite thing about Grand Rapids, MI, his favorite party games and how he embraces awkwardness while playing, his favorite brewery in GR, and Bill’s  prediction for Michigan hoops in 2021/2022.

In Episode 9.5.5 of Season 2 Mike talks 2021 NFL football, with a focus on the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears with  two dear friends: Season 2 Episode 2 Guest Zach Williams and first time guest Mike Cygan.   The level of NFL knowledge in this episide is immense (as is the friendship on display!). Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E9.5.5 featuring Mike’s good friends Zach Williams (S2E2 Guest) and Mike Cygan. 2:20: Mike gives an update about resolving a set of grievances from the Podcast staff. 3:45: Mike then lays out the plan for the rest of this episode, including giving a little background on this episode’s guests Zach and Mike. 7:00: Mike welcomes Zach Williams and Mike Cygan into the Virtual Podcast Studio.  Zach gives an update on how his life has changed since last coming on as a guest and Mike gives a quick intro about himself. The guys then talk a bit about a recent Chicago Cubs game they attended together, including post-gaming at the famous Nisei Lounge on Clark St in Wrigleyville as well as the Cygan family’s new “party porch”. 11:30: Mike then lays out the plan for the rest of the episode. 12:30: The guys tell the story about how they came to love their respective NFL teams, including playing Tecmo Bowl to build fandom back in the day as well as Mike D admitting he even kind of liked the 85 Bears. 22:30: The guys then tell the story of their favorite games for their teams they’ve attended in person, with Mike Cygan admitting his son is currently a Ravens fan, Zach talking about how his wife Debbi stepped up when none of his dude friends would, and Mike D taunting Bears fans in Soldier Field over strategic punting. 34:45: The fellas quickly reflect on the 2020 Season. 37:25: Next up are reasons for optimism for the 2021 Season. 44:30: The guys list their top 3 players who need to step up for their teams to have a successful season. 48:00: The fellas then break down their key position group for their teams for 2021. 49:10: The guys go game by game through the Lions and Bears’ schedules and predict their record.  Talk about some well reasoned prognostications! 1:08:30: The guys then predict the playoff teams in both the NFC and AFC as well as who will win the Super Bowl. 1:13:00: The guys finish things up by talking about their favorite pre-game traditions before NFL football.

In Episode 9.5 of Season 2 Mike leads another Point Fiver, this time on the topic of college football, his beloved University of Michigan Wolverines, and, of course, friendship.  Joining Mike for this spirited conversation are two top notch Wolverines (and friends): Season 1 Episode 11 Guest Tim Horvath (@timhorvath on Twitter) as well as first time guest Chad Massey (@cmassey99 on Twitter). Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E9.5 featuring Mike’s good friends Tim Horvath (S1E11 Guest) and Chad Massey. 1:45: Mike lays out the plan for the rest of Season 2 and gives a brief background on the concept of the Point Fiver episode format. 5:30: Mike welcomes Tim Horvath and Chad Massey into the Virtual Podcast Studio, welcoming back Tim and welcoming Chad for the first time.  Tim gives an update on some challenging health news for his family but his spirits remain high while Chad tells his life story and it is quite gripping. 13:00: The guys each tell the story of how they came to love college football and the Michigan Wolverines (spoiler alert: it’s been a very different journey for all three), including how Mike D was originally a HUGE MSU Spartan fan. 21:50: The guys then talk about their love of the college football-adjacent tradition of tailgating and how it’s a true art. 23:10: The guys tell the oral histories behind their favorite home and road games they ever attended.  If you didn’t attend these particular games (or even remember then) listening to these stories will make you feel like you were there. 46:20: Next up for the guys is an autopsy of the terrible 2020 season.  Warning: this is a real low point in the episode. 51:00: The guys then turn to the 2022 Season and their reasons for optimism this year.  And there are many! 56:40: The guys then choose their three key players to make or break the 2022 season. 1:01:30: The fellas then turn to their key position group for the 2022 season. 1:02:30: The guys give their game-by-game predictions for the Wolverines this season.  Of these three sets of predictions Mike D’s are probably the most accurate. 1:29:45: The guys then give their Big Ten East and West Champions as well as overall Big Ten Champs. 1:31:00: Next up are the guys’ predictions for the College Football Playoff and overall champion. 1:33:30: The guys finish up by naming their favorite food and beverage item at a college football tailgate.

In Episode 9 of Season 2 Mike welcomes his old friend from McLain Ave Kyle Urek to the podcast where they discuss little league baseball diamonds and ice cream traditions, an amazing math teacher & their love of snacks. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E9 featuring Kyle Urek. 2:30: Mike celebrates another MAJOR milestone for the podcast, which includes crossing the 2.5K download threshold. 3:20: Corrections from Episodes 8 (Eric Metz) and 8.5 (the Point Fiver on 80s Action/Adventure Movies).  Mike deeply apologizes to the entire Detroit Pistons organization, Hip Hop Artist Nelly, and step brothers/half brothers for different but equally offensive mistakes. 6:50: Mike updates the listeners on what’s been going on with him, which involves donating blood through the American Red Cross and their extremely strong snack game. 8:30: In honor of this episode’s guest Kyle Urek (a top notch accountant) Mike reveals his favorite song about cash money. 13:30: Mike welcomes S2E9 Guest Kyle Urek onto the podcast. 14:35: Kyle gives some background on himself, including his involvement with the Gleaners Food Bank and his childhood dream of becoming an accountant. 18:50: Kyle then gives the latest on what’s going on with him during the summer of 2021, which involves a trip to Hawaii, where they utilized the famed Janet Daniel airport shuttle service to get to and from the airport. 22:25: Kyle then talks about his longest running friendship and what’s made it last all of these years. 24:10: Mike and Kyle talk about the last time they saw each other, which was over cornhole that included another former podcast guest. 27:20: Mike and Kyle then trace the origins of their friendship, which are very windy and old and involve little league baseball.  They also talk about how Kyle’s dad kept Moneyball-level stats for each kid on their team. 30:45: Mike and Kyle discuss the joy of growing up in a town like Allen Park, MI.  They also discuss the quite painful game “9 Lives” they played as kids. 33:15: The guys discuss another family of kids they spent a significant amount of time with growing up (the Guerrerio family) and how 7 kids could all fit in a midsize car to get home from school. 35:00: Mike brings up his memories of the amazing snack game at the Urek household growing up. 36:30: The guys discuss their love of Nintendo games, including Contra, Zelda, and Double Dribble as well as the architectural differences between Kyle and Mike’s houses growing up and how that impacted allowable noise levels during video game playing. 39:45: The guys discuss the different baseball diamonds they grew up playing on in Allen Park as kids and they get DEEP on the topic. 43:30: The guys then break down the legendary ice cream wars that were taking place in Allen Park back in the late 80s and 90s. 45:45: Mike brings up that Kyle’s family were the first family in Allen Park, maybe the entire United States, to have access to the Internet via Prodigy. 49:00: The guys then discuss their Honors Math Class taught by legendary Mrs. Coats at Cabrini Grade School. 52:20: The guys then reminisce about marching in the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade as part of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Honor Corps aka the “Nerd Corps”. 54:05: Kyle then tells the listeners what the key to a good friendship is in his eyes. 56:15: Kyle breaks down some things he’s excited about in the next few months. 58:00: Mike takes Kyle through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Kyle’s favorite snack from growing up, his favorite activity at his family cottage, his favorite things to do activity-wise with his daughter, and his all-time favorite University of Michigan sports memories.

Mike brings on two of his favorite people and friends of the pod (Todd Pretty from Season 1 Episode 1 and Tim Rechtien from Season 1 Episode 5) for the third "point fiver" of Season 2 and the topic is best 80s action/adventure movies.  What ensues is a scholarly debate on classic cinema and a laugh fest best not missed.  Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 8.5 of Season 2.2:20: Mike gives the listeners an update on the plan for the rest of Season 2.3:05: Mike gives some more background on the "Point Fiver" episode concept and what will be discussed in this episode. 4:50: Mike welcomes Todd and Tim into the (virtual) podcast studio to discuss their favorite actiona/adventure films from the 1980s.

In Episode 8 of Season 2 Mike welcomes his undergrad and north side of Chicago friend Eric Metz to the podcast where they discuss the Breeze/breezin’, what life was like in the city of Chicago in the 2000s, Eric’s first home purchase, the origin of the nickname Mike Jones/Jonesy for Mike D, and Mike offers Eric and his wife Kathryn a public apology for missing their wedding. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Season 2 Episode 8 featuring Mike’s friend Eric Metz. 1:40: Mike breaks down the immense level of positive feedback that has come in related S2E7 (the Jack & Nolan Tate episode). 2:15: Mike then takes the listeners through a bevy of corrections from past episodes (focused on Episodes S2E6.5 and S2E7).  6:15: Mike updates the listeners on what’s been going on with him, which mainly centers around the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. 8:00: Mike gives a little more background on this episode’s guest, Eric Metz, while highlighting a classic song they used to listen back in Chicago. 11:25: Mike welcomes Eric Metz onto the podcast. 12:50: Eric gives the listeners what they want: his life story growing up in the Flint, MI region. 14:40: Eric then gives an update for how his very busy life is going these days. 15:50: Mike and Eric talk about the surprisingly tight geographic region they frequented back in the day in Chicago. 17:00: Eric then talks about his longest running friend, Brett Quayle. 18:45: Mike and Eric talk about the last time they hung in person and it was an embarrassingly long time ago. 19:30: Mike and Eric retrace some of the earliest memories of their friendship, back to their days at the University of Michigan, including when Mike only knew Eric as “Spinderella”, how Eric’s basketball skills are similar to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric playing college soccer at U-M, and how Eric ended up in Chicago. 23:40: Mike and Eric trace the earliest origins of the “Breeze” rec hoops team, which went on to set the north side of Chicago hoops scene on fire as well as the completely unnecessary car Mike leased after law school. 25:30: Eric and Mike then tell the story behind Mike D’s infamous nickname “Mike Jones/Jonesy”. 27:50: Eric and Mike then talk about the insanely large patio at Eric’s post-college condo in the River North neighborhood in Chicago and how it led to one of the all time legendary annual summer social events, which was inspired by the fashion choices of Sean “P Diddy” Combs. 32:10: Mike tells the story about how Eric introduced him to a tradition of buying in bulk known as “Bottle Service”, which was really more of an economics lesson than anything else. 34:40: Mike and Eric go DEEP on the history of the Breeze hoops team, one particular ref they had issues with, post-game traditions, commentary on the hoops games’ of each of the original team members, how they “fund raised” on behalf of the squad at Halligan’s Bar in Lincoln Park and how “breezin’” was a state of mind. 40:40: Mike comes clean and apologizes to Eric about something in their past that had been weighing on Mike’s mind related to Eric’s wedding weekend.  Eric graciously accepts. 44:10: Eric breaks down how to keep a friendship going at this point in his life. 45:20: Eric then talks about what he’s excited about coming up in his life in the next months. 46:10: Mike takes Eric through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Eric’s favorite place to grab food in undergrad at the University of Michigan, favorite north side of Chicago spot to breeze at, his favorite sport to play as a kid, his favorite ‘04 Piston, and his favorite road U-M tailgate he attended with Mike when Mike was still living in Chicago.

In Season 2 Episode 7 Mike welcomes his two favorite nephews (and also friends), Jack and Nolan Tate, into the podcast studio for a gripping and hard hitting conversation on friendship, food, activities, occupational dreams, bicycle riding, and answering the immortal question: Go Blue or Go Green?  Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E7. 2:00: Mike then owns up to some corrections from past episodes, including S2E2 (the Zach Williams episode) and S2E6.5 (the Point Fiver featuring John Baker).  Note that John and his lovely wife Gina’s trusty dog Jimmy flagged one of these mistakes.  Thanks again, Jimmy. 5:00: Mike then gives the listeners an updated on what’s going on with him, which involves Season 2 of his favorite show from 2020 dropping recently (Ted Lasso). 6:30: In honor of this episode’s guests (the Tate brothers) Mike takes the listeners through his top 5 favorite songs to listen to when he was little.  These are five classic jams, folks. 16:40: Mike welcomes Jack and Nolan Tate, aka the Tate brothers aka his nephews, to the podcast. 17:30: Jack and Nolan come clean to the listeners on their ages and then break down some of the other members of their family, including confirming the rumors that they have two Uncle Mikes. 18:40: The Tate brothers then discuss the name of their hometown and some of the cool features about their house, including the number of beds in Jack’s room. 19:40: The boys then discuss some of Jack and Nolan’s favorite activities during the summer, and how they are expert campers. 20:30: Jack and Nolan talk about some of their oldest and most intense friendships, including some of their favorite shared activities.  Toads: you may not want to listen to this segment. 21:50: Mike then takes the boys through one of his favorite Christmas traditions with them, playing with the Tate brothers’ toys.  The Tate brothers then talk about some of their favorite toys to play with. 22:40: The boys then talk about some of their favorite foods, and the extreme cooking prowess of their dad Rob and (especially) their mom Colleen. 23:55: Jack asks to go to the park. 24:00: The Tate boys debate whose bike is faster between them. 24:30: Favorite TV programs are discussed and they center on garbage trucks. 24:55: The Tate boys commit to future occupations. 25:15: The podcast ends with the Tate boys voting on the immortal question: Go Blue or Go Green?

Mike kicks off the second “Point Fiver” of season 2.  This one involves Season 1 Episode 4 guest John Baker and Mike’s shared tradition known as “Cleaning to the Beat” and the best music to support this wonderful activity. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 6.5. 1:30: Mike corrects two major errors from S2E6 (the Eric Lemieur episode), including one mistake that was a logical impossibility. 3:40: Mike gives some background on what a Point Fiver episode is and what this episode’s theme is (Cleaning to the Beat). 5:45: Mike welcomes John Baker back to the podcast, catches up with John on what’s changed in his life since coming on the podcast last season (spoiler alert: John, his wife Gina and their trusted dog Jimmy are moving to Colorado!) and then John and Mike discuss one of their favorite traditions known as Cleaning to the Beat as well as the 20 songs they fully endorse when engaging in said tradition.

In Season 2 Episode 6 Mike welcomes one of the more solid friends he’s ever made named Eric Lemieur into the Virtual Podcast Studio where they discuss a Disney-esque flag football team known as the Raiders, Buddy Bubner, the Vox and the Miyagi Proud Face. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E6. 1:50: Mike teases the next Point Fiver of Season 2 which is coming as episode 6.5.  It involves a guest who was a listener favorite from Episode 1 (S1E4 guest John Baker!) and it also involves music. 3:00: Mike then goes over some recent challenges with the podcast staff (Listeners - the staff could use your support right now) before getting into some corrections from the S2E5 featuring Chris Duprey.   7:50: Mike talks about what’s going on with him, and this time it centers around the sport of tennis, including his top 5 favorite things about it which involve his unorthodox technique, an amazing romantic comedy that takes place at one of Mike’s favorite tournaments, his usual Saturday morning game in Ann Arbor, and a band that bears the sport’s name. 19:50: Mike welcomes Eric Lemieur to the Podcast. 20:20: Eric breaks down his enthralling life story, including rising from the ashes in Southeastern Michigan and his docile children. 22:15: Eric updates the listeners on how life is going in his neck of the woods and it involves a lot of youth sports, trips to the Sunshine State and playing a little below average golf. 28:20: Eric then talks about who his longest running friend is and how that friendship stays strong (warning: Eric drops an extremely insightful quote from “To Kill a Mockingbird”).  It’s actually his cousin Pat Cupples, who Eric compares to Arnold Schwarzenegger and himself to Danny DeVito.   32:25: Mike and Eric talk about the last time they saw each other in person, back in February of 2020. 33:50: Mike and Eric then talk about the historic origins of their friendship at the house of the fraternity Mike was pledging at the time, including robbing the house of a significant amount of Hamm’s Ice. 37:30: Eric talks about an early attempt by Eric’s roommate from his fraternity house (Adam “the Moose” Morse) to mount a non-flat screen to the wall in their room. 40:15: Mike and Eric go DEEP about CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball when they were kids in the Detroit area and how amazing of an experience it was. 43:50: Mike and Eric tell the long overdue tale of the 2000 Raiders IM Flag Football Team.  It’s basically a Disney movie. 47:30: Eric talks about living at 911 Greenwood while in college, the giant projector TV in the house, and the interesting tradition that would happen during house parties they hosted. 50:10: Mike and Eric talk about one of their all time favorite golfers: Robert Edward Charles “Buddy” Bubner. 51:50: Mike and Eric discuss “The Vox” which is a primary way they stay in touch with each other and a few other friends. 56:00: Mike and Eric then get into one of their all time favorite live sports watching memories which took place at Wrigley Field in 2006 for a Tigers/Cubs game. 59:00: Eric gives his keys to a good friendship at this place while quoting the movie “Stand By Me”. 1:02:03: Eric then discusses what he’s excited about on his end for the next few months, including lots of trips. 1:04:45: Mike takes Eric through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including walking his sons around U-M’s campus, taking trips with his family, his favorite place to travel when he was traveling for business, his favorite recent TV shows, his favorite dinner spots in GR, and his all time favorite University of Michigan sports memories.

In Season 2 Episode 5 Mike welcomes a good friend, and sports media savant, named Chris Duprey into the virtual podcast studio for a freewheeling conversation that touches on several topics the world needs right now, including friendship. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E5 (Season 2 Episode 5). 1:30: Mike goes over corrections from some recent episodes and it’s an embarrassingly long list, including yet another discussion of Bozo’s Buckets and whether Mike did indeed wear silk shirts to his middle school and high school dances in the 1990s. 5:45: Mike talks about what’s going on with him, which centers around an amazing new album that just dropped from a cool rocker who happens to be the son of another musical legend. 10:10: Mike welcomes Chris Duprey to the podcast. 10:50: Chris shares his life story with the listeners that could be a script for a Hollywood movie, including what it’s like working in the Lansing area as a true blue Wolverine as well as being the answer to an unfortunate trivia question about Michigan football. 13:45: Chris talks about his experience working at the Michigan Daily as a sports columnist during college and how impactful that was, including mutual friend of Mike and Chris’ Mike Spahn. 17:00: Chris gives some updates on what’s been going on with him, including his sons’ athletic endeavors, specifically the Novi Heat 9U baseball team.  Mike references a couple of his favorite aspects of the Novi Heat.  Spoiler alert: Mike’s a big fan of the Heat!  They also discuss Chris’ advice for his older son about how to approach academics now that he’s starting High School in the Fall. 24:45: Chris gives the backstory on his longest standing friendship, which was formed by running cross country as a kid.  Great Al Bundy from Polk High reference in this segment. 29:30: Mike and Chris discuss the earliest memories of their friendship and how its foundation was established, which involved connections through some mutual friends who remain good mutual friends as well as how Mike would navigate tricky situations involving too much noise and Ann Arbor’s finest. 35:30: Mike references how Chris would perform at house parties during college by reenacting classic U-M sports radio calls(many involving Frank Beckman and Larry Henry), a true talent of Chris’! 37:20: Mike and Chris discuss being in U-M’s Undergrad Business Program (BBA) and how they approached their studies in that program, specifically strategy around group projects. 40:25: Mike has Chris talk about the culture in the Duprey household when watching University of Michigan sporting events, specifically as it relates to Chris’ sons.  Passionate fans is a frighteningly accurate description of these guys. 44:20: Mike and Chris talk about one of his true passions: refereeing college basketball. 48:30: Chris talks about his keys to a good friendship. 50:00: Chris then talks about what he’s fired up about in the next few months, including going to a couple of college basketball tryout camps for refereeing.   51:30: Mike takes Chris through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Chris’ favorite thing to do with each of his sons for fun, which involves going to watch Michigan football (and a story about going down to West Lafayette for a Michigan/Purdue game), Chris’ favorite small college gyms to ref in, Chris’ favorite U-M game he covered as a reporter at the Michigan Daily during college, Chris’ favorite place to go eat in Novi, MI as a kid, and Chris’ predictions for Michigan football in 2021.

In Episode 4 of Season 2 (the second one involving a Brian) Mike welcomes his old law school chum (who’s definitely NOT a chump) Brian Pandya to the podcast where they discuss living in the Lawyers Club, dressing up for dinner on Sundays, and the infamous 916 Mary. Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked Email the podcast at talkingfriendship@gmail.com Key moments from the pod:  0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E4 featuring Mike’s good friend Brian Pandya. 2:00: Mike celebrates a couple of MAJOR milestones for the podcast, including crossing the 2K listener threshold and reaching 22 different countries. 3:05: Corrections from Episode 3.5 (the Point Fiver on 90s School Dance Slow Jams): there aren’t so much corrections but instead just effusive feedback on this episode. 5:00: Mike updates the listeners on what’s going on with him, which includes a mix of fun activities but one in particular: axe throwing. 6:30: Mike plugs a new Lil Yachty song he’s really loving. 8:50: Mike introduces this episode’s guest: Brian Pandya.   10:00: Mike welcomes Brian to the podcast. 10:50: Brian gives the listeners his full life story (spoiler alert: it’s quite impressive). 11:40: Brian and Mike put in a plug for government service and Brian talks about why he loved working for the government for part of his career. 15:00: Mike and Brian talk a bit about some of the unique aspects of going to law school at Michigan, including the Summer Start Program (which no longer exists, much to Mike D’s chagrin). 16:30: Brian talks a bit more about growing up in West-Central Pennsylvania and why/how he can help listeners get online with Prodigy via their dial up modems. 18:40: Brian talks about the friend he’s been friends with the longest (it’s someone he became friends with upon moving to Washington DC) and how this buddy helped Brian get featured on the infamous legal blog “Above the Law”. 23:20: Mike and Brian talk about the last time they saw each other in person, in Washington DC for the Michigan/Maryland football game in 2017. 27:10: Mike and Brian recount the first time they remember hanging out with the other person at law school, as well as noting their respective home state regions have many similarities. 30:15: Mike tells the listeners why Brian was known as the “Gazelle” in Ann Arbor during law school.  He could really move! 31:50: Brian and Mike bring up their legal weightlifting society of Res Lifta Loquitor. 31:15: Mike and Brian discuss some of their favorite shared memories in the law school dorm known as the “Lawyers Club”, including how the Lawyers Club enhances the collegiality at Michigan Law School. 35:40: Mike and Brian go over the tradition known as “Sunday Dinner” in the Lawyers Club cafeteria. 37:00: Mike and Brian then talk about a specific event in their first year of law school involving not-awkward-at-all high tea at the adjacent Martha Cook dormitory. 39:45: Mike and Brian talk about their memories of their Constitutional Law class at Michigan taught by Professor Hills (a one-of-a-kind professor during their time in law school). 43:30: The guys break down their legendary law school house (916 Mary) and what they loved about it, including the unique way they decorated the common spaces of the house (largely inspired by the movie Old School) and hosting tailgates for Michigan football games. 51:30: Brian gives the listeners his key(s) to a good friendship. 53:30: Brian then talks about what he’s excited about in life over the next 6 months. 54:15: Mike takes Brian through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Brian’s favorite part about being a lawyer, some of Brian’s favorite activities with his kids, traveling with his wife, his favorite Pittsburgh athlete, and his prediction for Penn State football in the 2021 Season.