I haven't recorded a new episode of Toronto Mike'd in two weeks and I miss it. I'll make up for that brief pause with at least five new episodes before the end of the year, including visits by Bob Elliott, Denise Donlon, James Mirtle and Sean Fitz-Gerald.
This break has given me a chance to look back on the episodes recorded in 2016. I averaged more than one episode a week, and there were dozens of fantastic conversations, but here are my five favourite episodes of Toronto Mike'd in 2016.
Maestro Fresh-Wes
I had worked on getting Maestro to visit for years before his visit in September. I was a big fan and it was a delight having such one-on-one time with Wes. In a sense, the 200+ episodes could have been a ruse to make this 90 minutes possible.
Ron Hawkins
Much like Maestro, I was a huge fan of Lowest of the Low. To this day, Shakespeare My Butt gets played in my house and every episode of my podcast closes with Rosy and Grey from that same album. Ron was everything I'd hoped he would be.
Ron MacLean
Speaking of Rons who did not disappoint, Ron MacLean was incredible. He's been the face of Hockey Night in Canada for as long as I can remember and having him visit my basement to field my questions still blows my mind.
Bob Elliott
Back when I had a commute to work, I'd listen to Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown and wish the two minutes with Bob Elliott were two hours. On a cold day in December, I got what I wanted. Bob visited me and shared baseball stories for two hours and it was everything I had hoped it would be.
Emm Gryner
This one, was personal. Emm is a tremendous musician and great conversationalist, but i needed this episode for purely selfish reasons. This one was for Mike Kic.
