Mike Safo

Latest Episodes:

Mike Safo with Luis Sojo, 5-Time World Series Champion, MLB Veteran Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by five-time World Series Champion, Luis Sojo. Luis talks about growing up in Venezuela, getting scouted by the Blue Jays and how he got signed by them at the age of 20. We chat about his journey throughout the minors, getting the call to the Show, and his first season with the Blue Jays. He tells us about getting traded to the Angels and then going back to Toronto and where he was when Joe Carter hit that memorable home run. Luis reminisces about playing in Seattle, breaking my heart in 1995 and his thoughts on Griffey and A-Rod. We hear how Mr. Watson convinced Luis to come to the Yankees, how Luis convinced his wife to join and why wearing the pinstripes made him feel like he "made it". We discuss the infamous 1996 Yankees team, where the confidence came from, playing under Torre, and what Luis taught Derek Jeter as a rookie shortstop. Luis goes over the 125-win 1998 Yankees, the importance of El Duque, why that team was unstoppable and how getting chewed out by Don Zimmer extended his career. Luis tells the story about his World Series winning hit in game 5 against the Mets, how he predicted it, and what he was smiling about on 3rd base. We hear about his home run on Old-Timer’s Day and how he's the only player to play in that game and then return to major league action. We talk about why he loves coaching, the pride he felt managing his home country of Venezuela and leading some of the best players in baseball. We discuss the current state of Venezuela, the youth academies there, and why there is hope for his homeland. From Jeter's Hall of Fame induction to hanging out with Michael Jordan and golfing with Pujols. All this plus, texting with the former Yankees, his awesome memorabilia, and much more!

Mike Safo with Former MLB Catcher, Bruce Maxwell Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by former Oakland Athletics catcher and current Mexican league player, Bruce Maxwell. Bruce talks about being born in Germany, the joy of seeing himself in a video game and partying it up at Oktoberfest. We chat about growing up in Alabama, idolizing Ken Griffey Jr., and why he only started catching in college. We hear about Bruce's draft day story, reporting to the minors and playing with some of the future stars of baseball. Bruce tells us about his time in the minors, we hear an awesome story about how he found out he was getting called up to The Show, and his first year in the league. We discuss the horrible minor league pay, what happened with the Mets, and his injury that caused him to get Tommy John surgery. Bruce shares why he signed with the Mexican league, the passion of the fans, the amazing food, and the MLB's that are playing down there. Bruce let’s us know about the cool memorabilia he owns, why he proposed to his wife two times, and why he thinks Alabama will win the natty this year in football. We finish up with Bruce's awesome story about meeting and hanging with Griffey, his friendship with Uncle Coco Crisp, and much more! Follow Bruce here: https://www.instagram.com/bruce.maxwell8/

Mike Safo with Paul Spadafora, Former Lightweight Champion (Boxing) Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by former Light Heavyweight Champion of the world, "The Pittsburgh Kid" Paul Spadfora. Paul and I talk about his upcoming trip to Italy, how he proposed to his fiancé, and what Pittsburgh food he misses the most. We discuss him training his son, Geno, the similarities and differences with them and his biggest gripe with how younger boxers are trained today. We chat about him dropping out of school in 9th grade, boxing at 11 years old, meeting his mentor PK and hear an insane story about a high speed car chase that led to Paul getting shot at 16 years old. Paul analyzes the current state of boxing, his thoughts on Crawford, Fury fighting Francis and why he thinks Tyson is the greatest heavyweight of all time. He tells us about his amateur career, turning pro and that legendary night when he beat Cardona for the belt. We hear about how his life changed after winning the title, why he couldn't say no to his childhood friends and the reason he stayed in Pittsburgh so long. He shares why he believes he never got the dream matchup against Gatti, being trained by Emanuel Steward, and being a student of the sweet science. Paul also lets us know about the book being written about him that is coming out in October, still battling his demons and the HOPE he provides people battling addiction. All this plus texting with Roy Jones, when he's going back to the gym and his favorite TV shows. Follow Paul here and be on the lookout for his upcoming book https://www.instagram.com/paulspadaforaofficial/

Mike Safo with Sergey Kovalev, Former Light Heavyweight Champion, Boxing Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by the former Light Heavyweight Champion, Sergei "The Krusher" Kovalev. Sergei rants about his broken iPhone, what he was doing in NYC and the food he misses most from Russia. The Champ then talks about his love for hockey, starting his son playing at a young age, his son's talents and why he thinks his son is gravitating more towards soccer. We chat about why Sergei started boxing at the age of 11, what he loved about the sweet science, and what motivated him to turn pro after over 200 amateur fights. He tells us about his non-stop early boxing schedule, why he almost quit boxing after an opponent passed away after a fight with the Krusher, and that life-changing moment in Wales when he beat Nathan Cleverly to win the world title. We hear about the after party, how he made his fights look so easy and his training schedule. Sergei talks about unifying the titles in his epic fight with Bernard Hopkins, his rocket ship to stardom, being the Ring magazine fighter of the year and what drove him to stay hungry and motivated. Sergei opens up about his controversial loss to Andre Ward, how the second loss really opened his eyes to eating healthy and why he doesn't respect Ward for retiring instead of giving him what the fans wanted, a 3rd fight. We discuss him finally getting to fight in front of his home fans in Russia against Anthony Yarde, how emotional that fight was and the hurdles that went through booking it. I question the Champ about why he took the Canelo fight only TWO months after the Yarde fight and Sergei explains all the behind the scenes nonsense he had to deal with to get that fight. We talk about moving up to cruiserweight, beating the undefeated Pulev, and when we can expect to see him next in the ring. We hear why he doesnt watch TV, the last celebrity he took a photo with and when he is able to buy a new phone. All this with the former Champ!!

Mike Safo with Michael Thomsen, UFC Author Aug 26, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by author of the new book "Cage Kings: How an Unlikely Group of Moguls, Champions, and Hustlers Transformed the UFC into a 10 Billion Dollar Industry", Michael Thomsen. Michael talks about growing up in California, joining the Peace Corps, living in Madagascar and finally settling down in the Big Apple. We chat about his new book, the research that went into writing it, devoting over 3 years of his life to it and finally releasing it three years after the proposed date. Michael talks about what drew him to the UFC, the early ideas for the octagon involving a moat, plexiglass, and electricity, and the violence of the early UFC matches. We chat about Dana White in the early stages of the UFC, selling t-shirts out of his trunk and going to best buy and putting the UFC DVD's up front and how that transformed him into what he is today. We hear about the importance of the Diaz brothers, Rousey, Couture, and McGregor and how each carried a certain era of the UFC. Mike tells us about the self-sustainable UFC, from their headquarters to their facilities and the access they gave him (and didn't give him). We hear how Spike TV and reality TV really put the UFC on the map and how there seems to be no slowing it down. After dedicating years of his life to this book, he answers if did that made him more of a fan or less of a fan, will there ever be a retirement health care plan for these fighters and many other questions he tries to answer. We even chat about eye gouging fighting from the 1700's. All this and more with Michael Thomsen. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/mike_thomsen?lang=en

Mike Safo with Patrick Bringley, Author "All the Beauty in the World" Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by Patrick Bringley, author of the memoir "All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me". Patrick and I talk about him moving from Chicago to New York, switching allegiances from the White Sox to the Mets, and the behind the scenes work that a radio play by play guy does. Patrick tells us about working for the New Yorker and why his brother's illness and tragic passing led to his departure and finding work as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We chat about when Patrick decided to write this book, when he knew he had a hit and what he did when he saw someone buying his book. Patrick shares writing this different type of book where he opened up as a the narrator and still talked about the fascinating pieces of art at the Met. We discuss past thefts in the museum, the similarities of the MET guards to police officers, the secret tunnels under the museum and how he made the time pass. Ten years as a security guard, Patrick talks about what changed over that time, how he changed and when he knew it was time to retire. We go over his favorite pieces of art, the mistakes the curators make and the most annoying types of visitors. We hear about celebrities' that have been in the MET (not for the gala), what he's up to now, and how he snagged Jeff Wilpon's phone number. All this and more Check out Patrick's IG here: https://www.instagram.com/patrickbringley/ His website: https://www.patrickbringley.com/

Mike Safo with Madison Younginer, Former Atlanta Braves Pitcher Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by former Atlanta Brave Pitcher, Madison Younginer. Madison talks about growing up in South Carolina, the food he misses most when he's on the road and other sports he played as a child. We chat about being the Gatorade player of the year in South Carolina, what other schools besides Clemson had a shot at getting him, and how crazy his H.S. games were with all the scouts. We go over mock drafts, selecting a family advisor and how he found out that he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. We discuss reporting to the minor leagues, playing with Mookie Betts, Elsbury, Victorino, and other future stars. Madison opens up about his injuries while in the minors, mentally dealing with the changing of destinations, and how he dealt with the roller coaster of emotions with every good and bad start. We hear about how Madison's night started with putting whiskey into a cup and ended with him getting notified that he was going to the Major Leagues. He talks about his first game in St. Louis, his first strike out, and what major league pitching record he owns. We hear about rooking hazing, playing credit card roulette at a 5-star steak house, and why he never got the chance to play with his cousin. Madison chats about his decision to play in Australia, when he knew it was is time to hang up the spikes and how lucky he was with his baseball journey. All this plus playing golf with Griffey, basketball with Betts, and the cool people in his phone.

Mike Safo with Hollis "Tank" Thomas, Eagles & Saints (NFL) Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by former Eagles legend and New Orleans Saint, Hollis "Tank" Thomas. Hollis talks about growing up in St. Louis, why he didn't play football until High School, and when the moment was that Hollis knew he wanted to play defense. He tells us why he chose to attend Northern Illinois, checking the mock drafts and making a highlight VHS tape and sending them out to all 30 NFL teams. We hear about the disappointment of not getting drafted, the teams that reached out and why he choose to sign with the Eagles. We discuss his first training camp, when he realized he belonged, his welcome to the NFL moment and the things he had to do as a rookie. Tank talks about his time with the Eagles, why he was the missing link in the NFC championship draught and how they celebrated after punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. Tank reminisces about Super Bowl 39, his thoughts of Spy-Gate and how the Eagles players dealt with that heartbreaking loss. Tank talks a little about McNabb's "stomach issues", playing for Andy Reid and then we hear about his time in New Orleans playing for Sean Payton. Hollis shares life after football, why he believes that he is beloved by Eagle fans, his outstanding podcast and radio show and how he got involved in "Philly Sports Trips". We hear about cool people in his phone, his favorite piece of memorabilia and buying a car with hydraulics. All this and more with a true Legend of the Eagles Follow Tank here: https://www.instagram.com/kewlmf/ https://twitter.com/darealtank78

Mike Safo with Andrea Lankford, Author and Former Park Ranger Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by former Park Ranger and now author, Andrea Lankford. Andrea and I talk about what led her to be a park ranger, the stunning landscape that is her workplace and what caused her to retire after only 12 years. We chat about her first book “Ranger Confidential”; when she knew she had a hit on her hands and other books she wrote. Andrea shares her newest book “Trails of the Lost” and how she got involved in these three fascinating missing person cases. We go over in depth about the three missing hikers, the facts surrounding their mysterious disappearances and our theories on what happened. Andrea was on both sides: law enforcement and now amateur detective. We discuss the pros/cons of both sides, how social media can help and hurt an investigation and what can be done to help out the foundation for missing hikers. We also talk about all the hats a park ranger wears and how that can lead to low morale and getting burnt out. Andrea talks about how her investigation with her book led her to marijuana growers, wild animals and even a cult! All this and more with Park Ranger turned nurse turned author, Andrea Lankford. Follow her here: https://www.andrealankford.com/

Mike Safo with Jim Leyritz, MLB Veteran & 2-Time World Series Champion Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Joined today by 2-time World Series Champion and MLB veteran, "The King" Jim Leyritz. Jim talks about growing up in Cincinnati, idolizing Pete Rose and the life changing advice Johnny Bench gave him when he was 14. We hear why Jim abandoned his basketball dreams, breaking his foot right before the MLB draft and how he ended up at the University of Kentucky. Jim chats about meeting the Yankee scout who would eventually sign him, winning a batting title in the minor leagues and two awesome Deion Sanders stories from their time playing together. Jim shares getting called up to the show in 1990, his first hit, his first hit off Clemens at the stadium, and his "feud" with Bucky Dent. Jim recalls his dramatic 1995 home run against the Mariners in the 15th inning in Mattingly's last game. We discuss the 1996 World Series, his game 4 iconic home run, catching the infamous 1-0 game 5 and celebrating the 1996 title. Jim tells us why he wanted to be traded in 1997, and why he jumped from the Angels - Rangers - Red Sox and the Padres within 2 years. We hear about the ‘98 World Series, when he knew the Padres were going to lose and the hitting style of Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs. He shares his passion working with various charitable organizations and how George Steinbrenner instilled the "giving back" mantra to him. Jim opens up about his off the field hurdles, how he persevered through his arrest and trial, and what inspired him to keep fighting. We hear about Jim meeting his wife, the importance of the book, "A Purpose Driven Life", and why he always remained loyal to Craig Carton. All this plus his rolodex of celebrities in his phone, how he gets to eat at Rao's and his goal of being a sport agent. Follow Jim here:https://jimleyritz.com/

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