95 North: A Philadelphia Sports Perspective

In this episode, Mike and his friend Peter draft which sporting events they would prioritize to watch over the next twelve months before recapping their recent annual guys trip to Nashville. As usual, we close with Trivia and our Cause for Optimism in the week ahead. 

It's a classic 4-for-4 episode as Mike and his friend Kirill touch on each of the four teams and the notable happenings from the past ten days. As usual we close with Stump the Host / Stump the Guest Trivia and our Cause for Optimism. 

In this jam-packed episode, Mike & Peter revisit an episode they recorded two years ago at the start of the pandemic and discuss how sports and life has changed - and hasn't changed - in the years since. Before that, they share their thoughts on Ben Simmons' return to Philadelphia and Carson Wentz's return to the NFC East. Listen to the second half of the podcast as Mike & Peter then share their Top 10 lists for the best stadiums they have visited before closing with Stump the Host / Stump the Guest trivia and our Cause for Optimism the week ahead. 

In this week's episode, Mike is joined by his friend Kirill as they share their perspective on the Harden trade a week later, before sharing memories of other big trade deadline deals our four teams have made in recent years and discuss how Embiid/Harden will compare to other famous Philly sports duos in our lifetime. We close as usual with Stump the Host / Stump the Guest trivia and our Cause for Optimism in the week ahead. 

In this episode, Mike is joined again by his dad as they breakdown yet another Flyers 10 game losing streak. They also recap the Eagles Wild Card Weekend loss to the Bucs and close with Stump The Host / Stump The Guest Philly sports trivia and their Cause for Optimism for the week ahead. 

In this episode, Mike is joined again by his friend Kirill as they share their fearless predictions for the Eagles, Flyers, Sixers & Phillies for 2022. They also share the one thing they'll remember about 2021 years from now for each of the four teams, and close with Stump the Host / Stump the Guest trivia and our Cause for Optimism in the week ahead. 

In this episode, Mike is joined by his friend Peter as they breakdown the factors that make a team likeable or not, before discussing their Top 10 beer experiences. As usual, we close with Stump the Host / Stump the Guest trivia and our Cause for Optimism for the week ahead. 

In this episode of Broad & Optimism, Mike is joined by his dad as they breakdown the Flyers recent struggles and the optimism jinx Mike put on them in our previous episode (0:22). Then, they close with Stump the Host / Stump The Guest Philly sports trivia, before sharing their Cause for Optimism in the week ahead (50:10).

Welcome to Broad & Optimism! In this inaugural episode, Mike & his friend Kirill establish baseline optimism rankings for our four teams in terms of where they are on a path toward a championship (3:45). Then at the end of the episode listen for the the inaugural Stump the Host / Stump the Guest trivia segment, before we close with our Cause for Optimism (50:27). Stay tuned for updated social media to come soon!

We take a break from the Philly sports world and lamenting about the Carson Wentz trade and state of the Eagles this week to do something fun and different - a fantasy draft of players from sports movies.  Mike is joined by his friend Peter and his brother Dave as they draft a roster of players across famous football, basketball, hockey and baseball movies.  Listen as they breakdown the roster spots they need to fill, eligibility, and dive into the draft itself, before debating who did the best job accumulating talent.  Who would you take with the number 1 overall pick?  Who do you think drafted the best team?  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

Well, the other shoe, er cleat, has dropped and Carson Wentz has been traded.  In this episode, Mike is joined by his friend Kirill as they analyze and debate Carson’s career in Philadelphia, its highs and lows, how it got to this point, and what his legacy will be.  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and email the podcast at 95northpodcast@gmail.com.    

We’re back, and as of today, Carson Wentz is still an Eagle.  After a few month hiatus, we are back to discuss the biggest topic in Philly sports - the curious case of Carson Wentz.  In need of some help processing where we are and how we got here, Mike is joined this week by his wife, a life coach, to talk through the Carson Wentz situation and the slim hope that he and the Eagles may still be able to resolve whatever differences exist.  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and email the podcast at 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

It’s our third trip down memory lane this week, as we relive Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS that saw the Phillies defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 and take a 3-1 series lead, thanks in large part to the epic 8th inning home run from Matt Stairs.  Listen as we set the context for October 2008 (6:10), rewatch and relive the game from Jimmy Rollins’ lead-off single to the final out of Brad Lidge’s save and the highs and lows in between (18:35), before handing out our awards for the game (50:45) and then closing with what happens next and briefly exploring an alternate reality (1:11:22).  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and email feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.

In this week’s episode, Mike and Peter break down and recap the quadrennial Eagles/Steelers match-up (3:20).  Then, in honor of the 1943 Steagles, Mike and Peter conduct a fantasy football draft of Eagles and Steelers players since Ben Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004 (26:28).  Listen and decide who drafts the better team!  Then, they close with wine tips and talk about the impact of the recent wildfires in California on the industry (1:02:33).  Follow the podcast @95NorthPodcast and email the podcast at 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

On this week’s episode, Mike and his brother Dave share their brief Eagles thoughts and takeaways after another frustrating loss to the Rams, and try to outline a path for hope going forward (2:26).  Then, they try to rank and crown the greatest Philly sports jersey power couple of the last 30 years (19:14).  Who were the best two players from our four teams that wore the same number?  Listen to find out!  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com. 

On this week’s episode, Mike and Peter share their Mid-Week Football Thoughts following week 1 of the NFL season, including their Justifiable Takeaways and Everyone Calm Down winners (32:38).  But first, Mike shares his final thoughts on the Flyers playoff run and Mike and Peter discuss what this upcoming offseason and the years ahead of the Flyers might look like (4:50).  We close with Inside the Vines, where Peter shares another wine tip with us! (1:05:35)  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and share feedback at 95northpodcast@gmail.com.   

In this week’s episode, Mike and Dave discuss the latest happenings with the Flyers and the Sixers.  First, they talk Flyers and share their takeaways after the Flyers’ first series win in eight years, and then recap the Game 1 loss vs the Islanders and where they see the series progressing from here (4:34).  They also discuss Claude Giroux and what a deep playoff run could do for his legacy in Philadelphia, and who his comps are among other Philly athletes in our lifetime (20:32).  Then, they talk Sixers and share their thoughts on the end of a disappointing Sixers season (33:51) before Mike shares his list of the most disappointing seasons in his lifetime among the four teams in terms of preseason expectations to end result as a way to put this Sixers season into perspective (39:52).  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

In this week’s episode, Mike and his brother Dave get Flyer’d up and recap the Flyers finishing the round robin tournament as the #1 seed for the first time since 2000, and talk about the Flyers upcoming playoff series against Montreal (0:22).  Then, they break down Mike’s list of the top 10 Flyers playoff moments of his lifetime (27:43).  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and send questions and feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

When the calendar turns to August, it’s time to talk Sixers and Flyers playoffs, right? In this week’s episode, we talk both Sixers and Flyers restarts and playoff outlooks.  First, Mike talks to Sean Kennedy of @Liberty_Ballers on the state of the Sixers in Orlando and their road ahead (2:03).  Then, Mike talks to his friend Chris about the Flyers starting back up in their bubble in Toronto, and their cautious optimism heading into the playoffs (35:33).  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.

In this episode, Mike and Peter catch up on the return of sports and share their outlook for the path forward for Major League Baseball, the possible impact on the NFL in the fall, and their greater optimism for the NBA and NHL starting back up in their respective bubbles (0:24).  Then, they each share what they are most excited about for each of the four sports coming back, along with some storylines and things they forgot about during the past four months living without sports (29:26).  Finally, Peter shares another wine tip with us in our Inside the Vines segment (55:35). Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

It was an honor to have Glen Macnow from 94 WIP on the podcast to share his story with us.  Listen as Glen recaps his childhood in Buffalo, how he got into journalism, and how his career took him from Florida to Detroit and then ultimately to Philadelphia.  Glen shares his early perceptions of the city, describes his days working at the Inquirer, and then takes us through his career on sports talk radio, sharing memories of some of the most fun runs of our four teams along the way.  Finally, we talk beer and how Glen got involved with the Conshohocken Brewing Company and the show What's Brewing.  Follow Glen on Twitter @RealGlenMacnow.  Follow the podcast @95NorthPodcast and email the podcast at 95northpodcast@gmail.com. 

We have sports to talk about!  The NFL Draft gave us all a return to sports normalcy for a few days, and also a lot of controversy.  Listen to Mike’s take on the Eagles draft and, of course, the Eagles selection of QB Jalen Hurts in the second round.  Listen as Mike explains why he thinks it has the potential to be a good and smart pick in the years to come before briefly sharing his take on the Eagles draft as a whole.  Send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com and follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast.

It’s our monthly Turnpike episode with Peter.  Listen as Mike and Peter touch on where we are with sports amid the global pandemic and social distancing, and what the path forward might look like (4:15).  Then, Mike and Peter re-live and deep dive the peak of the Flyers/Penguins heated rivalry from the 2007-2008 NHL season through the 2011-2012 season, a five year span that saw the Flyers and Penguins meet three times in the playoffs (18:15).  Finally, Peter shares another wine tip in our closing Inside the Vines segment (1:28:57).  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

Hello, friends.  It’s Masters week - or what would have been Masters week - so we take a pause from Philly sports this week and deep dive The Masters.  Mike is joined by his friend Kevin as they share their Masters memories and what they love about this event, how they would usually spend this week and weekend, and try to break down what makes this such a special event on the sports calendar (0:23).  Then, they each share their list of the Top 5 things they love (and will miss) about The Masters (32:05).  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast.  

With no live sports to enjoy, we take our second trip down Memory Lane this week, as Mike and his brother relive the famous Flyers vs. Rangers regular season game from April 11, 2010 that ended with a Flyers shootout victory that launched them on a run to the Stanley Cup Finals.  Listen as Mike and his brother set the context for this game (9:10), before recapping the game from puck drop through Boucher’s save to clinch the shootout victory (27:31).  Then, they share their awards from this game including the Turning Point, Unsung Hero, What Were They Thinking, Sign of the Times, Best Play, and MVP (1:26:18).  Finally, they talk about what happened next and where the Flyers and Rangers went from here, and also try to hypothesize what an alternate reality would have looked like had the Flyers lost this shootout (1:48:22).  Send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com and follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast.

It’s a strange new world, and Mike and Peter discuss the impact of COVID-19 & social distancing on their own lives (0:29) before reviewing the major sports impacts over the past week and whether we might still see NBA/NHL playoffs at any point (11:30).  Then they return to some sports talk normalcy and share their thoughts on the new NFL CBA and reactions to NFL free agency (35:00).  Finally they close with the Inside the Vines segment as Peter shares the importance of trying to support your local small businesses amid these unique times (1:02:29).  

In this week’s episode, Mike shares his first annual The Untouchables List, the list of players across the Eagles, Flyers, Phillies and Sixers that should be considered “untouchable” foundational pieces of our beloved four teams.  Mike starts by sharing his criteria for coming up with the list (4:58), before sharing his initial long list of candidates (10:58), and then finally shares his top 5 list of the most untouchable athletes on our four teams (24:03).  Send feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com and follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast.

It’s our first ever Mailbag episode!  Listen as Mike responds to questions covering all four of our beloved teams (6:35).  But first, Mike recaps the fun run the Flyers have been on and how they’ve succeeded at becoming relevant again in the Philadelphia sports conversation and in the national hockey conversation (0:50).  Send feedback and questions for future mailbag episodes to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

On this Turnpike episode, Mike and Peter review the NHL playoff landscape as we enter the home stretch of the NHL regular season and a huge week for the Flyers (4:20).  Then, they share their initial XFL takeaways before talking about some of the other alternative professional sports leagues out there or that are coming (24:53), before talking All Star games and which leagues do it best and worst (41:00).  Finally, we close with our newly named Inside the Vines segment where Mike shares a story from a recent winery visit before Peter shares his monthly wine tips (49:58).  Send feedback and questions or topics for our upcoming Mailbag episode to 95northpodcast@gmail.com. 

It’s Oscars week!  Listen as Mike and his friend/movie buff Dan host the inaugural Philly Sports Movie Oscars.  First they share their quick Super Bowl takeaways (1:20) before previewing the real Oscars coming up on Sunday night (5:30).  Then, they discuss all of the lesser known or remembered Philly sports connections in movies (19:40) before diving into the classics and awarding winners for Best Actor, Actor in a Supporting Role, Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Picture, and our own Spirit of Philadelphia award for the Philly sports movies we all know and love (35:10).  Send your feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com and follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast.  

In this special episode, Mike delivers his scripted State of the Philadelphia Sports Union (5:15), sharing his optimism for the years ahead, and making the case that the foundation is set across all four teams with our young stars and coaches for a unique period of sustained success.  Share your feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com.  

As we turn our attention away from the Eagles, we check in with Sean Kennedy, Deputy Editor of Liberty Ballers - SB Nation’s dedicated Sixers website - to talk all things Sixers.  Listen as Mike talks with Sean about what it’s like to be both a fan and someone who covers the team (2:10) before they discuss the Sixers season to date (12:20).  Then, yes, we are talking Process as Mike and Sean discuss whether The Process can already be deemed a success (38:10).  Follow the podcast on Twitter @95NorthPodcast and email 95northpodcast@gmail.com with your feedback.  Follow Sean on Twitter @PhillyFastBreak and check out his Sixers coverage at LibertyBallers.com 

Welcome back on the Turnpike!  Mike shares his Eagles / Seahawks reaction (2:15) before he and Peter talk about the state of the NHL’s Winter Classic (16:45), and then discuss the NFL’s upcoming Division Round and where it ranks on the list of best sports times of the year (30:12), and the coach and QB legacies most on the line for the rest of the NFL playoffs (37:15).  We end with the popular Wine Tips segment, where Peter helps educate us on some key terminology and how to navigate wine tasting menus (56:26).  

Happy New Year!  Somehow, someway, the Eagles are the NFC East champs.  Listen as Mike tries to put this strange season - and this past month - into perspective (0:19).  Then listen as Mike talks about the upcoming game vs. Seattle, and the joy of a buildup to a home Eagles playoff game (23:57).  

Welcome to Memory Lane, a series where we relive some of the most memorable Philly sports games from the past twenty years.  In this inaugural edition, Mike is joined by his brother Dave as they breakdown the famous Eagles vs. Giants Week 15 game from December, 2010 that culminated in the Desean Jackson punt return touchdown.  Listen as we set the context for the game and the season (8:33) before guiding you through the game from opening kickoff until Desean (finally) crosses the goal line (18:53).  Then listen as we hand out our awards from the game (1:09:10) including Unsung Hero, What Were They Thinking, MVP and more, before closing with what happened after this game and exploring an alternate reality if this game had ended differently (1:28:15).  Send your feedback to 95northpodcast@gmail.com on what games you want to see us relive in the future!

On this episode, my friend Peter is back and we share our Holiday Wish Lists for things we would like to see changed or happen in the national sports landscape.  Listen for our Stocking Stuffers (13:40) and the main gifts we are asking for this year (26:10).  Then, check out our fun gift exchange where I give Peter three gifts as a Pittsburgh sports fan, and he gives me three gifts as a Philly fan (49:37).  Finally, we close with another edition of Wine Tips as Peter shares tips on bringing a bottle of wine to a holiday party (59:44). 

We’re back!  Just in time to recap one of the worst losses in recent Eagles memory.  Listen to Mike’s slightly different take on the loss and the rest of this season (0:25) and then a defense of Carson Wentz (17:39).  

In this episode, Mike shares his Mid-Week Football Thoughts on the Eagles victory over the Jets and the schedule ahead (0:58), before doing a segment on Legion of Doom in honor of the 10-8(8)-19 calendar date this week (17:08).

Drop the puck! Listen to Mike’s Flyers season preview episode as he updates you on what you might have missed if you checked out on the Flyers the past few years (1:15) before updating you on the Names You Know (19:14), educates you on some Names You Should Know (27:00), including one very special player and category (35:06).  Finally, Mike does a quick recap of the offseason and shares his expectations for the season ahead (39:43).  

In this special edition of Mid-Week Football Thoughts, Mike gets off 95 and onto the turnpike as he welcome his friend Peter, a die-hard Pittsburgh sports fan, to the podcast (1:34).  Mike and Peter discuss the similarities between being a Philly fan and being a Pittsburgh fan (4:45) and then quickly recap the first month of the Steelers and Eagles seasons (10:34) before sharing their Justifiable Takeaways (26:16) and their Everyone Calm Downs (37:05) for the first month of the NFL season.  Stay tuned at the end of the episode as Mike picks Peter’s expert wine brain on some tips to help you navigate picking the right wine at the store or at a restaurant (50:50).  

Exhale!  Listen to Mike’s reactions to an Instant Classic Eagles win (0:48) followed by a segment on Respected Rivals (23:11), about the players on our division rivals that we uniquely find ourselves respecting instead of hating.  

The fun and games are over in this week’s edition of Mid-Week Football Thoughts as Mike shares his perspective on perhaps the most important early Eagles regular season game in recent memory.  

In this episode, Mike shares his Top 10 Moments in Philadelphia sports over the past 20-25 years including the criteria used to develop the list (3:34) and a few honorable mentions (10:25) before diving into moments 10 through 6 (16:15) and moments 5 through 1 (44:10).  Share your feedback at 95northpodcast@gmail.com or on instagram @95north_podcast.  

Back by popular demand, it’s Mike’s Mid-Week Football Thoughts!  Listen for Mike’s Justifiable Takeaways on the Eagles Week 2 Loss (2:40) and a unique edition of Everyone Calm Down (14:00) that analyzes the appropriate etiquette of caring about your team playing when at a wedding or big family event.  

In this episode, Mike shares his Mid-Week Football Thoughts on the Eagles Week 1 victory (2:34), looking ahead to Week 2 in Atlanta (6:00), and the unique return of Desean Jackson (7:35).  Then, hear Mike’s Justifiable Takeaways from the NFL in Week 1 (11:20), and his Everyone Calm Down category of Week 1 overreactions (16:45).  Finally, stay tuned for a conversation around the decade ahead and what city you should bet on to have the next great run of pro sports championships (25:55)…(spoiler alert…)

Die-hard, 4-for-4 Philly sports fan Mike Platt puts today’s Philadelphia sports games and moments into perspective, deep dives topics in the world of Philadelphia sports, and takes you down memory lane of some of the great Eagles, Flyers, Phillies and Sixers moments, games players and teams from the past twenty five years.