Dr. Tom Monaghan, who holds a Doctorate in Education, was a Staff Sergeant during the Vietnam War. He, Frank and Billy will honor Vietnam Veterans in a special episode of A Mick A Mook and A Mic on November 10th. Born in the Bronx, New York, he went to college in Syracuse and earned a degree in history. After graduating in 1968, he enlisted in the Army. Tom did his basic training and AIT at…
Steve Dorff, a 3-time Grammy and 6-time Emmy nominated songwriter, will join Frank and Billy on the November 3rd episode of A Mick A Mook and A Mic. Honored as a 2018 Inductee to the prestigious Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in NYC, Dorff has written songs sung by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Anne Murray, George Strait, Garth Brooks and countless others, while also establishing himself as a gifted…
I met Peter in the days of our golden youth, on the playing fields of the Sepulveda Basin where we were teammates on the ‘Ten Guys From Italy’ softball team. I was still an occasionally working actor with a number of failed pilots and series behind me and one spec script written in my peripatetic journey to a career, and Peter was ridiculously successful. On the diamond, Peter was just a sweetheart of a guy…
Tony Oppedisano, aka “Tony O”, is a former musician and singer who went on to become an award-winning producer. He served as a member of Frank Sinatra’s management team, and also managed comedian Don Rickles. Tony was only twenty-one when he first met and befriended Frank Sinatra. Tony later became the singer’s confidante, best friend and road manager. He was a contributor to two of Sinatra’s platinum albums and a producer of the documentary…
I turned 30 a couple of weeks ago and it’s left me with a strange mix of emotions: existential dread, pining for the days when I was “young”, and a weird feeling of calm. It’s always been this number of frightening size, this self-imposed deadline constantly looming in the future, but like almost everything else in life that one dreads, it’s so much worse in your mind than it is in reality! It goes without…
Former Major League Baseball All Star centerfielder, Brett Butler, joins Mick and Mook on Wednesday, October 20th. Butler played 17-years in MLB with the Braves, Indians, Giants, Dodgers and Mets. He played in 2,213 games and accumulating 2,375 hits with a career batting average of .290. He was a National League All-Star in 1991, while playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Post his playing career, Brett managed in the Minor Leagues for five years and…
Make no mistake, baseball remains America’s pastime. While the National Football League may be America’s favorite sport to watch, we ‘pass time’ (over 8-months of the year, including Spring Training) watching baseball. And while some may think baseball is boring, which it can be at times during a long, 162-game regular season, try watching playoff baseball. It’s an entirely different game and very exciting. Have you been watching the 2021 MLB Playoffs? At the time…
Recently I had the absolute pleasure of taking a trip to Madison Wisconsin to visit my 98 (count it NINETY-EIGHT) year old grandmother, Ruthie. Because of the pandemic, everyone’s busy lives, and the fact that we live about 2,000 miles apart, this was the first time I’d seen my Grandma in person in three years. Obviously, it’s always special to get to spend time with a grandparent but getting to talk to Ruthie as she…
The October 13th episode of A Mick A Mook and A Mic will feature multi-talented actress, Faith Ford. Faith is a recipient of five Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Award nominations for eleven season portrayal of reporter ‘Corky Sherwood’ on the CBS series “Murphy Brown.” She also starred in the ABC hit comedy series “Hope & Faith” with Kelly Ripa for three seasons and later on “Norn” opposite Norm Mc Donald and Laurie…
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Pitcher, Jim Maloney, joins ‘A Mick A Mook and A Mic’ on Wednesday, October 6th. The former Reds right-hander was one of the premier pitchers in Major League Baseball during the 1960s, when he threw two no-hitters and was a two-time 20-game winner. During the 60s, Jim was one of the hardest throwers in Major League Baseball, as he was ‘clocked’ at 99 miles-per-hour! In his shortened career, due to…
After graduating from college and prior to entering the Sports Industry, my life was filled with some precarious characters – none of whom my father, a police officer, would have approved. However, it was a time that surely provided me with interesting stories…and a better appreciation for being alive. It all began with my first job, post-college. I became a sales representative for a beer and wine distributor. The main beer sold was Narragansett. ‘Narry’…
Perry Rogers is the CEO and founder of PRP, a sports management and corporate consulting company with a client roster including NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal, Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum and Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic. He is also an investor and part owner of HEXX Kitchen + Bar and BEER PARK, located at the Paris Casino in Las Vegas. Rogers has aligned O’Neal with brands such as American Express, Icy Hot, Gold Bond, Zales,…
I have strange relationships with lots of things. We were born before the internet was widespread enough to have the all-consuming impact it had on Gen Z, but it certainly shaped us. Music went from tapes to CDs to mp3s to streaming at light speed (and at some point, vinyl came back?), never settling in on one format for too long during our lives. The same goes for phones and video games and government surveillance!…
Colonel David Scott was the Commander of Apollo 15 Moon mission in 1971. Col Scott was the first man to drive the Lunar Rover on the Moon and is one of only four surviving astronauts to have walked on the Moon’s surface. Col Scott flew to space three times in this illustrious career. His maiden voyage was on Gemini 8 with Neil Armstrong, when he became the second man to walk in space. The…
The multi-talented Adrienne Barbeau will be featured on the September 15th podcast of A Mick A Mook and A Mic. Barbeau, a highly acclaimed actress, is also a singer and author of three books. She came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway’s original Rizzo in the musical Grease, and as Carol Traynor in the sitcom, Maude, featuring Bea Arthur. In 1978, Barbeau’s ‘hot’ poster confirmed her status as a Hollywood sex symbol. Her first…
“Don’t tell me what you remember,” I said. I leaned in and looked Twiggy squarely in the eyes. “I want you to tell me what you absolutely cannot forget.” I was asking my brother firefighter that question because I was doing research for a book that has since been published called Combustible. Although the Twin Towers had collapsed more than a decade earlier, Twiggy’s head immediately collapsed into the palms of his hands, voice quivering,…
Windows on the World Restaurant, World Trade Center For those who follow this blog, you know that I occasionally depart from sports. This is one of those occasions. Like many, I vividly remember where I was when I heard of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Upon hearing, I quickly got in front of my television and watched the heartbreaking events unfold in real time. When the second…
Chief Richard Picciotto is the highest ranking firefighter to survive the World Trade Center collapse. On September 11, 2001, FDNY Battalion Chief Richard “Pitch” Picciotto answered the call heard around the world. In minutes, he was at Ground Zero of the worst terrorist attack on American soil, as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center began to burn–and then to buckle. Trapped in Stairwell B when the North Tower collapsed, Chief Picciotto and the…
Summary: As the world has been turned into disarray during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ultimate Fighting Championship took the lead in returning to action and provided a reprieve from the doldrums, with stars such as Israel Adesanya, Jorge Masvidal, Amanda Nunes, Dustin Poirier, Kamaru Usman and Conor McGregor leading the way. Nearly 28 years ago, UFC 1 “The Beginning” took place. Roughly 16 years ago, The Ultimate Fighter aired its first season and mixed martial…
Grant Gordon is a longtime sports writer who has written columns, features, game stories and previews on just about every sport – with a little news mixed in. In addition, Grant is an editor whose tasks involve designing, posting stories online and social media. Currently, Grant is the Digital Content Editor for NFL Media. He is the former sports editor for Los Angeles Times Community Newspapers North and a trio of its subsidiaries (the Burbank…
I’m a pretty organized guy. I always know where my phone is. I never lose my keys. My glasses go from on my face, to a designated spot in the bathroom when I put on my contacts, back to my face, and then to their designated spot on my bedside table every day. I know it seems like a boring way to live, but I find a certain level of comfort in knowing exactly where…
Have you ever wished Mick or Mook would ask a specific question to one of their iconic guests on the A Mick A Mook and A Mic podcast? Well, now your wish can come true! Check out our Upcoming Guest list on the website, www.aMickaMookandaMic.com, and submit a question for a guest. To submit your question, just log on to our site and click ‘Contact’ in the top navigation bar. When you get to the…
Lesley Visser is the most highly acclaimed female sportscaster of all time. Lesley was the first women recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as she was the 2006 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. The award is given annually by the Hall of Fame to recognize “long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.” In six Halls of Fame, Visser is often recognized as the…
I’ve been blessed to have lived a very interesting life. My sports career has enabled me to travel extensively over the years. It has taken me to 46 states and multiple countries. In the 1980s alone, I became a million-mile flyer on American Airlines. And while flying eventually became a chore, the destinations and people that I met made it all worthwhile. One of the benefits of travel, plus having good friends in Hollywood and…
Entrepreneur and former left-handed minor league pitcher Rob “Nellie” Nelson, the inventor of Big League Chew, discusses his bubble gum company’s history and success in the marketplace with Mick and Mook in the upcoming episode of ‘A Mick A Mook and A Mic’ slated for August 18th. Starting from humble beginnings in the Portland Mavericks bullpen (an independent Class A minor league baseball team) in 1977, Nelson developed Big League Chew into the preferred chewing…