Celebrating the Birth of America: The Greatest Country Known to Man

vSportsTalk - By Gil Vieira

With the Fourth of July approaching, I look forward to celebrating the birth of the greatest country in the history of our planet.  The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the American Revolution. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies…

John Boggs, Iconic Baseball Agent, Joins Mick & Mook on 7/6

Upcoming Guest

John Boggs is the President & CEO of John Boggs & Associates (JBA Sports), a full-service Athlete Representation & Sports Marketing company which focuses exclusively on baseball. Based in San Diego, CA, Boggs has been representing Athletes and Field Managers in baseball for over 35 years.  He and his company have negotiated over $900M in playing contracts and marketing deals. The prestigious JBA client list has included: Hall of Famers Tony Gwynn, Alan Trammel and…

Muhammad Ali and The Penguin

Guest Blogger

This is from memory, so the year will come to me later. My late partner Frank Shaw and I had written a Bill Cosby Special. We were taping it at NBC in Burbank. One of the guest stars was Burgess Meredith, glowing in his newfound fame as The Penguin on the Batman series. I didn’t care. To me Burgess Meredith was Ernie Pyle in The Story of G.I. Joe, George in Of Mice and Men,…

American Hypocrisy Extended to Sports

vSportsTalk - By Gil Vieira

To be clear, I’m no longer a big golf fan. I haven’t followed golf intently since the days of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicholas. I played a lot during my college years and a few years, thereafter…but that was many moons ago.  So, with that said, don’t expect this blog to provide much insight on golf or the new LIV Golf Series. But, rather, it will bring your attention to the ongoing hypocrisy of many…

Going Home

Guest Blogger

Going home is almost always wonderful, except when it’s to grieve a loss of a loved one. Recently, I went back to my home town, Miami Beach, for my High School reunion, and it was a very joyous time, but there was some, brief, grieving. At my age, many of the people I knew and loved start to pass, and the list of those who left us gets longer with time. We remembered them fondly…

Dan Frischman: Actor, Writer, Director, Joins M&M on 6/15

Upcoming Guest

Dan Frischman is an actor, comedian, writer, director and magician. Born in Whippany, New Jersey, he is best known for his roles as TV’s first nerd ,Arvid Engen, on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class, and Chris Potter on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel.  Dan is also a member of The Magic Castle and belongs to the Academy of Magic Arts in Hollywood.  As a precursor to his television career, he worked as…

Alex Boylan, Producer & TV Host and Winner of CBS “Amazing Race,” Joins M&M on 6/8

Upcoming Guest

Alex Boylan is known around the world for his award-winning TV producing and TV hosting ability.  After winning The Amazing Race at 23 years old, he’s been blessed to have an amazing career both in front and behind the camera.​ Above all else, Alex is an adventurer, traveler, and storyteller.  He’s filmed in every state in America and over 60 countries around the world.  Alex’s passion for producing won him an Emmy nomination for his work on The Steve Harvey…

The Beat Goes On…

theMook - by Frank Pace (The Mook)

I spent one terrific Memorial Day, poolside, surrounded by my family, eating bbq and watching my two granddaughters play as if they didn’t have a care in the world because they didn’t.  So young. So innocent. So precious.  In Uvalde, Texas, however, 21 families and an entire community suffered the realities of life as we have come to know it.  Nineteen precious children and two brave teachers’ lives were snuffed out in yet another senseless…

Emmy Award-Winner Khrystyne Haje Joins M&M on 6/29

Upcoming Guest

An Emmy Award winning actress, Khrystyne Haje started as a fashion model at age 14, appearing on magazine covers and billboards world-wide. Soon after she progressed to commercials, and starring roles in Network TV movies & series. Named one of People Magazine’s “The 50 Most Beautiful People in The World,” Khrystyne is best known for the role of Simone, on ABC’s 5-year top 20 hit Head of the Class.  Recently, Khrystyne was selected as one of…

Remembering Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

vSportsTalk - By Gil Vieira

As the son of a World War II veteran who is extremely proud to showcase Dad’s Purple Heart on my fireplace mantle, I remind everyone that Memorial Day is a very special day for Americans. It’s a day we honor those who died while serving in the U.S. military in our nation’s wars. As my Dad would always remind me, Veterans Day is for ALL who served, but Memorial Day is to honor those who…

D.W. Moffett, Actor & Director, Visits Mick & Mook on June 1st

Upcoming Guest

Donald Warren (D.W.) Moffett has had a long and illustrious career in show business with over 100 movies and TV credits, including starring roles in Friday Night Lights, For Your Love, Switched at Birth, Chicago Med & How To Commit Murder. Born in Highland Park, Illinois and a graduate of Stanford University, D.W. originally had no inclination to become an actor, as he actually set out on a career as a diplomat. A chance meeting with…

Marc Blatte, Music Producer, Composer & Author, Joins MMM on 5/25

Upcoming Guest

Marc Blatte is an accomplished composer, commercial song writer and author. He is a Grammy Nominee for Writer of Best R+B Song, “When She Was My Girl,” the #1 record by The Four Tops. Blatte is also a winner of The ASCAP Award for Most Performed Country Music Song for “Read My Lips,” the #3 record by Marie Osmond. In addition, he was the recipient of The Ralph Peer Music Publishing Company’s Lifetime Achievement Award for…

On Discovering a Creator

Inside Will's Brain - By Will Peterman

Since the dawn of the internet we, as a civilization, have had basically the entirety of human knowledge and creation at our fingertips. From the greatest works of literature to the most complex mathematical equations (explained as simply as possible for Dumb Brains like me). Almost every piece of recorded music in history can be listened to in a few seconds! It’s pretty freaking cool…and yet most of us end up watching/listening/reading the same comfortable…

…On Being Hot

Inside Will's Brain - By Will Peterman

Can you imagine if this essay was about what it’s like to be incredibly good looking? As the self-described “most generic looking white man possible,” I think it would be extremely funny to wax poetic on how difficult life is when you’re ‘really really really’ ridiculously good looking. But, that’s clearly not what I’m here to blather on about. I’m here to talk to you as someone who is constantly overheating, someone who is usually dappled…

Donnie Hammond, 2x PGA Tour Winner, Joins M&M on 5/18

Upcoming Guest

Donnie Hammond is a two-time winner on the Professional Golf Association Tour. He will be joining Mick & Mook on May 18th. Donnie will recap the Masters Tournament for Billy and Frank and preview the remaining three upcoming majors starting with the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club. Hammond was born in Fredrick, Maryland and attended Jacksonville University where he was a member of the golf team. He turned pro in 1979 and joined…

Anatomy of a Photo

By Billy O’Connor (Da Mick)

Wearing jeans, a white scarf, and borrowed sandals, a 14-year-old American girl became the most famous unknown person in the world overnight.      John Filo, student photographer at Kent State, took a photo of runaway, Mary Ann Vecchio, in 1969 that was plastered on the front page of every newspaper in the country and firmly into the annals of history.     On May 4, Kent State University students protested over Richard Nixon’s decision to invade Cambodia.  On her…

Fred Claire, Former Dodgers’ VP & General Manager, Joins M&M 5/11  

Upcoming Guest

Fred Claire is a former long-time executive with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He served numerous roles with the Dodgers from 1969-1998, including his position as Vice President/General Manager from ’87 to ‘98. Fred began his career with the Dodgers as an assistant in public relations – and in 1975, he became the VP of Public Relations.  During this term, he was instrumental in creating the team branding that became known as the ‘Dodger Blue’ campaign.…

Whiny NBA Duo Get Their Due

vSportsTalk - By Gil Vieira

Yes, I’m a Boston Celtics fan. However, I guarantee you, the majority of NBA fans will agree with my following sentiments, including some diehard New York fans. Besides, most New Yorkers are Knicks’ fans and still consider the Nets as part of New Jersey. But, then again, their two New York NFL teams play in New Jersey, so…. For those who don’t follow the National Basketball Association, the Celtics just swept the Brooklyn Nets in…

John Filo, Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer (Kent St. Photo), Joins MMM on 5/4

Upcoming Guest

John Filo’s iconic picture of 14-year-old Mary Ann Vecchio screaming while kneeling over the dead body of 20-year-old Jeffrey Miller, one of the four victims of the Kent State shootings in 1970, won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1971. The shooting by members of the Ohio National Guard occurred at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio on May 4, 1970. The massacre, which resulted in the deaths of four students and wounding of nine others,…

LA Dodgers Roberts and Kershaw Perpetuate The Wussification of Pro Sports

vSportsTalk - By Gil Vieira

With legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew the guest on the ‘A Mick A Mook and A Mic’ podcast this week, I thought it would be apropos to write about baseball. And while I had intended to write something positive about the game, sadly, LA Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts stepped in and that plan went awry. However, allow me to first acknowledge the great Rod Carew. I met Rod via the ‘Mook’ (Frank Pace)…

ON UNCLE SAM THE TAX MAN

Inside Will's Brain - By Will Peterman

As soon as someone pointed out I should write a post about doing taxes, my mind splintered into a thousand pieces and began imagining a thousand different essays about it. From the Jerry Seinfeld, “what’s the deal with taxes?” type, to the anarcho-capitalist word vomit about how the government is simply a coercive monopoly stealing the sweat off of the collective brows of workers…but then, of course, I settled back into my own little corner…

Rod Carew, Legendary Baseball HOFer, Joins ‘MMM’ on April 30th

Upcoming Guest

Rodney Cline Carew was born on a train in Gatun, Panama on October 1, 1945. He moved with his family to New York when he was fourteen years old, and signed with the Minnesota Twins on the day he graduated from high school. Rod Carew is one of the most talented players to ever don a major league uniform. During his illustrious nineteen-year career he was selected to eighteen All-Star teams. He is the all-time…

My Favorite NCAA Basketball Final Four…Was the Fix In?

vSportsTalk - By Gil Vieira

Watching the recent NCAA Final Four, plus knowing UCLA basketball great, John Vallely, would be a guest soon on the ‘A Mick A Mook and A Mic’ podcast, ignited many fond basketball memories. It was in March 1970 when my favorite NCAA basketball memories occurred. Over 50-years ago…yikes! I was a sophomore in college. God, just a baby!  I was attending Jacksonville University (JU) in Florida – and finally getting over being homesick. Living south…

John Vallely, 2x UCLA Basketball Champion, Joins Mick & Mook on 4/13

Upcoming Guest

 Frank & Billy are looking forward to a visit from the legendary UCLA basketball star and a first round pick in the NBA draft, John Vallely, on the April 13th episode of A Mick A Mook and A Mic.  Vallely, a former NBA player and 2x NCAA Basketball Champion, was a star and All-American for the John Wooden led UCLA Bruins. He won his two NCAA championships in 1969 and 1970, and was a teammate…

Steve Papazian, Retired President of Warner Bros. Films, Joins MMM 4/6

Upcoming Guest

Prolific author Horatio Alger never met Steve Papazian.  He is the epitome of an American success story. A Los Angeles native and graduate of Cal State Northridge, Steve started in the mail room at Warner’s after having served a tour in Viet Nam.  For the next nearly 50-years, Steve rose through the ranks to become the President of Physical Production for Warner Bros Worldwide. Steve worked on some of the studios biggest films during his…