Season 5 - Episode 11 - Mike talks 2023 Michigan football v Penn State with Greg Shuraleff

The Talking Friendship with Mike D Podcast

In Episode 11 of Season 5 Mike introduces the listeners to a first time guest to the podcast, “Positive” Greg Shuraleff, to talk through Michigan football’s first true test of the 2023 season: the Penn State Nittany Lions. The guys talk Beaver Stadium architecture, awkward Air Bnb’s, (Bill) Pickles and a weekend in State College, PA they’ll never forget.

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Key moments from the pod:

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S5E11 featuring Mike’s Wolverine buddy Greg Shuraleff.

2:00: Next up is the traditional corrections segment, where Mike corrects the driving time from Ann Arbor to East Lansing, an apology to Scottish listeners, and finally a miscalculation of the number of times Michigan football has played on NBC Saturday night football.

4:20: What’s going on with Mike D, which includes a 2nd annual Kalamazoo day trip via the train and live roller derby (shout out to Skinny Minnie).

7:20: Mike then sets the table for the dramatic weekend in Happy Valley that is the subject of this episode, including an encounter with the Michigan football team at the State College Regional Airport and a galvanizing rallying cry born from that moment.

9:45: Mike and the staff then play a smidge of a track that best exemplified the vibes of that weekend in State College vis a vis the Michigan football team.

14:00: Mike welcomes Greg Shuraleff into the virtual podcast studio.

15:40: Greg then tells his entire life story for the listeners and it’s quite the tale (including how he was NOT originally a Michigan fan as a kid and a transfer averted).

18:00: The guys then trace the origins of their friendship in Chicago and a mutual love of the State of Michigan sports and then discuss the last time they saw each other in person (which was in Pasadena, CA).

23:30: Greg tells the listeners who his longest running friend is and why that friendship has remained so strong (and how it started when we had to switch schools as a kid).

26:50: The guys then talk about their thoughts on the state of Michigan football coming into the season and this critical Penn State game.

31:15: Next up the guys talk about the Friday night and Saturday morning in State College leading up to the game itself, including the challenges of actually getting there and finding lodging close to campus, posting up at the legendary Bill Pickles Tap Room, an awkward AirBnB, Greg’s pre-game ritual at road games, an Uber situation that almost ended a friendship, and finding a Michigan-friendly tailgate very close to Beaver Stadium.

44:45: Mike and Greg then break down the epic highs and lows (mostly highs) of Michigan’s win over Penn State, including the architectural “charm” of Beaver Stadium.

59:00: The guys start wrapping things up by talking about Interim Coach Sherrone Moore’s legendary post-game interview, the team’s celebration and how they capped off their trip in Happy Valley.

1:03:00: Greg then caps the episode by talking about what Michigan football means to him.