Season 6 - Episode 1 - Mike talks a road game tradition with Mark Sgriccia and Zach Drennen

Send us Fan MailIn Episode 1 of Season 6 Mike welcomes two good buddies onto the podcast to kick off the season for a free flowing conversation about the friendship ties that bind and a yearly tradition that has become legendary from coast to coast.  Follow the podcast on BLUESKY: @friendsofmikedEmail the podcast at [email protected] moments from the pod: 0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S6E1 featuring Mark Sgriccia and Zach Drennen!1:45: Mike sets the table for Season 6 of the podcast2:28: MIke then talks about what’s been going on with him since Season 5 of the pod ended and it involves A LOT of amazing traveling including trips to:3:20: Cancun!4:00: Glasgow! (where Mike tried to play the bagpipes and failed miserably)6:00: London! (where Mike scaled monuments, watched football (soccer), and learned some rock and roll history).8:00: Canada (specifically Alberta) to see the Red Wings take down the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames along with soaking in some Canadian culture and fresh brews.11:00: Italy (specifically Rome, Florence and Milan) for history, food, art, architecture, sport and friendship building!14:15: Mike plays a smidge of an Italian song that he was listening to while traversing Italia on the trip.18:00: Mike brings on two true blue Wolverines who have skyrocketed up his personal FQR (friendship quality rankings).21:00: Mike lays out the plan for the rest of the episode, including introducing a long-standing friendship tradition22:45: The guys get into the last time they saw each other, including an epic March Madness gathering at Zach’s as well as at the beginning of the Dusty May era.28:00: Zach and Mark give their respective histories about becoming Michigan fans.33:15: Zach then talks about how he’s become the wizard of recaps.34:15: The guys talk about how they first crossed paths at the Michigan/Penn State game in State College in 2023.42:30: Zach and Mark reflect on what the 2023 Michigan football season means to them.47:15: The guys then talk about the 2024 season and how it compared to 2023 as well as noting how Ohio State’s 2024 “championship” season will forever be less than.55:00: Mark and Zach then give the history of their road game weekend tradition.1:02:00: The guys then go over the most recent iteration of this epic tradition: the Michigan/Washington game in Seattle in 2024.1:09:00: Mark then talks through how the specific road game for the RGWT (road game weekend tradition) gets chosen which involves a west coast BBQ, a powerpoint/Google slides presentation and data-informed decision making.1:15:00: The guys then discuss the plans for the 2025 Michigan/USC road game in LA (which is NOT necessarily the official RGWT choice for the 2025 season.1:19:00: The guys then talk about the vibes for the 2025 Michigan football team as of the spring of 2025.1:24:45: The episode comes to an end with the guys sharing what makes the RGWT special and where it might go.