Mike Safo

Joined today by MLB All-Star and veteran Steve Trachsel.  Steve and I chat about growing up in California, why he chose Long Beach State and then going to the college World Series with Jason Giambi.  We touch on where he was when he got the call from the Cubbies that he goes drafted, rocketing through the minors and walking into a locker room with Grace, Dunston and Ryno.  We talk about playing in the friendly confines, leaving as a free agent and why he always wanted to play in New York. Steve tells us the difficulties of playing in NYC with the media, his September 11th story and his emotions when Piazza hit that iconic HR against the Braves. We reminisce about his first big injury and how he dealt with that mentally, geeking out with some of the All-Stars in ‘96 when he made the team, and when he knew it was time to call it quits. From Steve’s dream destination to his return to NYC this year for old timers day, Steve shows why he was always considered one of baseballs good guys!

 Follow Steve on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Traxxx46

Joined today by podcaster and New York Times best-selling author, Jeff Pearlman.  Jeff and I talk about him leaving NYC for the West Coast, what food he misses and what Cali does better.  We reminisce about growing up and idolizing old school sports writers and getting his dream job at Sports Illustrated at just 24 years old. Jeff looks back on leaving SI to work for Newsday and then making the transition into writing books.  We touch upon his incredible book about the 86’ Mets. He shares the struggle he experienced putting so much time into his Bonds book only to fail and how he overcame it. We chat about why he wrote “Three Ring Circus” which is about Kobe, Shaq and those Lakers and why he didn’t enjoy it. He also talks about what he wanted to ask Kobe and what would have happened if Coach Cal and the Nets drafted Kobe. Jeff tells us about his podcast “Two writers slinging yang”, how he prepares for an interview and some of his dream guests. Jeff plugs his newest book about Bo Jackson and expresses his wish to write a book about Tupac.  From hanging with Phil Jackson to sitting down hearing jokes from Muhammad Ali, Jeff Pearlman brings his awesome reporting and storytelling to the podcast. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffpearlman

Joined today by award winning film director and my childhood friend and teammate, Reinaldo Marcus Green.  Rei and I talk about growing up, playing baseball together and how we argued over the Yankees and Mets. Rei talks about being a hot young rookie director and being given the script for “King Richard”, why it resonated so much with him and why he knew he needed to direct the film. He shares his first meeting with Will Smith, how he sold himself and why Jada played a role in Will wanting Rei to direct the film. We go over the pressures of telling the Williams sisters’ story correctly, having to correct Will on his lines and why it was so important to include the other Williams sisters in the story. Rei tells us about the creative power he has, what he changed for the movie and when he knows his film is finally completed. Rei goes behind the scenes and talks about the importance of everyone on set from the costume designer to the lighting team. We discuss his newest project, “We Own This City”; about the corrupt Baltimore police department, why it’s important to humanize even the bad guys, and why the conversation between police and POC need to continue to be had by everyone. From Oscar nominations to texting Jamie Foxx, Reinaldo shows why he bet on himself by taking out huge loans from NYU and why he’s winning.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3232264/

Joined today by NYC streetball legend, Jack “Black Jack” Ryan. Jackie and I talk about being one of the hottest recruits coming out of high school and why his stubbornness and hard-headiness put him in 3 different high schools and 4 different colleges before quitting in a quest to be a streetball legend. Jack tells us about his superstar daughter Morgan, her signing a letter to go play at Pace, playing father-daughter games with her and how that led to him meeting Kobe Bryant. We discuss his documentary and Netflix movie and how’s he was getting recognized by all different people. Jack shares a great story about playing against David Robinson and Navy and getting pulled from the game for being too flashy. We hear about his drinking, partying and how he overcame his suicidal thoughts. We chat about how Peter Vecsey got him a tryout with the New Jersey Nets, how a chance meeting got him a gig with the Legendary Harlem Wizards and how performing in front of 1000 kids is more rewarding than dropping 50 points at “The Cage”. All this plus why Magic Johnson ducked him in a game, playing horse with Chris Mullin and PeeWee Kirkland. Follow Jackie on Instagram at: 

  https://www.instagram.com/blackjackryan21

Joined today by NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion, Desmond Bishop. Des talks about growing up in California, rooting for the 49ers and who were the players he looked up to. We discuss why he wasn’t recruited out of high school, why he choose the elite San Francisco as his JUCO and the decision to go to Cal over USC after being an All-American from JUCO.  Desmond talks about how he didn’t know about mock drafts and how surprised he was that he was drafted so late. We hear about his impression of Green Bay, his first introduction to Brett Favre and how close he was to the Super Bowl in his rookie season. Co-hosted with Bill Viscardi, we hear from a fan’s perspective going up to the frozen tundra, what’s there to do in Green Bay, and also hear Desmond’s advice to aspiring high school athletes on what they can do to become elite. He reminisces about Super Bowl XLV, his famous fumble recovery and the heartbreaking story of why he didn’t get to meet President Obama at the White house. Desmond opens up about his injuries, being cut and why he regrets choosing the Vikings over another team when he was a free agent. From boxing to Charles Woodson’s Super Bowl speech, and more with the Super Bowl Champion.

Joined today by newlywed, documentary producer and Kentucky basketball legend, Cameron Mils. Cam talks about his new family, the courting of his wife Susan, the best and worst parts about marriage and how he outkicked his coverage. We talk about the return of Coach Tubby Smith to the Commonwealth, the first thing Coach said to him, and what it meant to see Coach for the first time in forever. Cameron and I talk about the initial thoughts of the ‘98 team when Coach Pitino left, what their goals were and how they handled their early losses to Arizona and Louisville. We touch on his 31 point outburst against Florida, the famous 1998 Championship run and the full investigation into his stolen title ring and how it was recovered years later. He speaks about his father, Terry Mills playing for Coach Rupp and guarding “Pistol” Pete. He shares what it’s like producing his Kentucky documentaries and if there’s a topic he would like to tackle next. We chat a little about Reed Sheppard and Cam’s thoughts about the Kentucky kid staying home. From Seinfeld trivia to making President Clinton laugh at the White House, Cameron always brings his unique storytelling to the podcast.

Follow Cam here: https://twitter.com/cameronmillz

Joined today by creator of "Cemetery Dance" and best-selling author of the hit book "Chasing the Boogeyman", Richard Chizmar. Richard and I talk about Baltimore sports and why he's leaning his allegiance to the Virginia Cavaliers. We chat about his incredible new book, when he knew he had a hit and the idea to make himself the main character. He tells us where the idea of the book came from, the difficulties of juggling fiction and non-fiction, centering the book around his hometown and how after he finished he realized it was a mixture of Stephen King, Scream and I'll Be Gone in the Dark. He reminisces about his days at the University of Maryland, how and why he started Cemetery Dance and what was his backup plan. He shares how he started sending his work to Stephen king and how that evolved into him and Stephen co-writing books together. From making fake websites about the book to his favorite pieces of memorabilia. All this with the incredibly entertaining and uber talented Richard Chizmar.

Richard's Website: https://richardchizmar.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardChizmar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Richard_Chizmar/

Joined today by podcaster, travel writer, author and former assistant of Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever. Laurie and I talk about her 2 new books: World Travel: An Irreverent Guide and of course, Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Autobiography. We hear why she chose to write the book in an oral format, all of the interviews she conducted and how she actually put this project together. First, we hear about Laurie growing up, being Mario Batali’s assistant and how introduced her to Anthony Bourdain. We chat about Anthony living the lifestyle of a rock star, how he always dreamed of being an author and of course, his book “No Reservations”. We hear about that famous Beirut episode and how that changed his life. We also talk about his addictive personality, whether it be narcotics, Jiu Jitsu, or even love. Laurie talks about all the places she traveled with Bourdain, her favorite time with him at the racetrack and what kind of boss he really was. We talk about the roller coaster ride of his life from the ups of his tv shows and being on CNN to the downs of meeting Asia and his tragic suicide. Laurie and I try to figure out how he is relatable to everyone from all walks of life, her favorite meal after a trip and the coolest person on her phone. The man who has influenced millions to travel and look at the world in a different way left a special legacy, hopefully Laurie’s book put it into words. Follow Laurie here and buy her book wherever books are sold.

http://lauriewoolever.com/about

https://www.instagram.com/lauriewoolever/

https://twitter.com/lauriewoolever

Joined today by former Kentucky Wildcat, New York Knick and current star of the Sun Rockers in Japan, Josh Harrellson. Josh and I talk about living in Asia, learning a new language and the safety and beauty of Japan. He talks about being a family guy, raising his daughter, welcoming his new son, and what silly things his daughter makes him do. We chat about Missouri, being a Cardinals fan, and the most famous person from St. Charles. We find out about Josh not playing basketball until high school, why he committed and then de-committed to Western Illinois, JUCO and then finally why he choose Kentucky. He reminisces about how Billy Gillispie AND BBN helped recruit him, the good and bad of Coach Gillispie and what he learned from him. We talk about Coach Calipari taking over when Josh was a sophomore,  the feeling of seeing all the 5 star recruits come in, practicing with them and how, mentally, he dealt with a decrease in playing time. Of course we talk about the magical final four run, the “lob” off Jared Sullinger and when he first started looking at mock drafts. He shares his draft day story, playing with the Knicks in NYC, Lebron in Miami and then venturing overseas. Josh talks about how he found a home in Japan, their wacky schedule and how he deals with being a superstar out there. We hear what greasy foods he misses most, how he introduced himself to LeBron with a tweet, and why he wears # 55. From Pokemon cards to leaving frozen foods on the train, we talk about everything with Kentucky legend “Jorts”. Follow Josh on twitter, his wife and the Japanese league at:

https://twitter.com/bigjorts55

Bleague.jp

https://www.instagram.com/lauraharrellson/

Joined today by basketball coach, traveler and author of the new book, “Zen and the Art of Coaching Basketball: Memoir of a Namibian Odyssey”, Ben Guest. Ben talks about quitting his job and what made him write this book, the process of being a self-publisher and how he wants to grow this into his own business. This being Ben’s first “real” book, we chat about the process of making it, why now was the correct time to do it and the awesome memories that came back to him. He reminisces about growing up, what made him want to join the Peace Corps and being assigned to Namibia. Ben explains what made him drop it all to move back to Namibia and how he got back into coaching. We talk about his different coaching methods of being a more Zen-like calm coach, using meditation with his teammates, how he gained their trust and why he believes relationships can sometimes overcome talent on the court. Ben shares his experience about being high school coach of the year, starting his own professional basketball team and shocking the KBA and winning the title. From what Ben misses the most about Africa to why he stopped coaching basketball. All this and more with Ben Guest. If you enjoy traveling, basketball, self-help and everything in between then purchase his book and follow Ben here.  

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ben-Guest/e/B091BV3YJQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bguest