June 25, 2025 • 61 mins
What does true loyalty look like in today's world? Whether it's sticking with your heartbreaking hometown sports teams or staying at the same company for over three decades, John Middleton embodies a steadfast commitment that feels increasingly rare in our current culture.
In this engaging conversation with host Mike Bono, John shares the emotional rollercoaster of being a Cleveland sports fan—from the gut-wrenching "Drive" and "Fumble" eras through the Baker Mayfield years to the current Deshaun Watson debacle. "You have to be loyal," John insists. "I cannot go away from my hometown." This devotion extends beyond sports into his professional life, where he's built a 33-year career at Component Repair Technologies, rising from factory worker to visual dimensional inspector for jet engine parts.
The discussion takes a fascinating turn when Mike opens up about his 13-year journey as the self-described "angry white comic" navigating today's comedy landscape. Both men reflect on how growing up in close-knit families (Italian for Mike, Scottish for John) fostered the resilience needed to thrive in a world increasingly sensitive to humor. "I think if people just laughed more, we would be a much happier society," John observes.
Their conversation weaves through shared passions—from golf's unique appeal as an individual sport to the powerful pull of ancestral homelands. John's trips to Scotland have connected him with family and history, while Mike speaks of his future plans to visit Italy: "It's not if we go, it's when we go."
The episode concludes with John's simple yet profound advice: approach life positively and learn from every experience. As Mike notes, "Failure doesn't mean you lost, it just means you learned something." In a world fixated on constant change, there's something refreshing about celebrating the quiet dignity found in loyalty, perseverance, and maintaining a sense of humor through life's inevitable challenges.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ride Home
Rants podcast.
This is, as always, your host,mike Bono.
I have a great guest for ustoday.
He comes to us all the way fromthe suburbs of Cleveland, ohio,
and that is John Middleton, whojoins the show.
John, thanks for joining,brother.
Hey, great to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Mike, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Not a problem at all.
Like I said, you know you'refrom the suburbs of Cleveland
originally and mentor.
What was it like growing up inone of the biggest suburbs of
Cleveland and being that closeto the city?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It was really cool being close to Cleveland and me
being a big sports fan, it justreally made it feel personal
with sports, the heartache.
But Cleveland to me is justvery special to me and being
that close is great.
(00:56):
I mean commute-wise, easy toget downtown and it's just a
great area to be a part of.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, I mean I've heard nothing but good things
from the Mentor area.
I've done a lot of comedy showsin the Mentor area, so I love
getting to go up there and doshows there too as well.
It's always fun.
It's always a great crowd tooas well.
Haven't been able to get intothe big city of Cleveland yet I
am still working on that too aswell but loved Cleveland every
time I've gone up there.
(01:25):
Like I said, I have no badexperiences so far up in
Cleveland and being a sports fan.
When you mentioned heartache, Iam a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, so
if that tells you anythingabout heartache, I've learned
from pretty much the best of thebest growing up near the
Pittsburgh area, but Clevelanddidn't have that great of a team
(01:47):
before in the in the heydayseither too as well.
So I definitely understand thatbeing a big sports fan and
loving your city, no matter what.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, yeah, you have to be loyal.
I cannot go away from myhometown.
It's just.
I've known people to do that,especially with the football.
You know I I need people thatwill root for the guardians
slash Indians.
And then they love the Steelersbecause the Steelers are just a
(02:18):
good organization.
They win and people got tiredof the Browns being just.
They've been absolutely awfulsince they came back to the NFL.
They had one little stretchwith Baker Mayfield, but other
than that it's been tough.
So yeah, but I'm loyal throughand through, no matter what.
(02:39):
I can't shift gears and goelsewhere.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I understand that a hundred percent.
Like I said, I grew up about anhour outside of Pittsburgh, in
a little town in West Virginiaand with there being no pro
sports teams in West Virginia,it's kind of a fair game.
But growing up that close tothe stadium, I always root for
the Pittsburgh teams, especiallythe Steelers.
But I am a Buccaneers fan bytrade.
So thank you to the ClevelandBrowns for letting us have him.
(03:06):
I think that was probably thedumbest decision they've made
and letting him go elsewhereworked out for us so far.
So I can't complain about thatone bit, so for sure.
But yeah, I know Cleveland.
Yeah, that's them with Baker.
That's the last I can rememberin my 36 years of being around
(03:26):
that they were relevant in theNFL.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yeah, they really had a good thing going there and
I'm not sure what went wrong.
But Mayfield, he's a gutsy guyand there's no doubt in Tampa
he's just got weapons.
He's flourishing there and goodfor him.
I liked him and I wasdisappointed when things didn't
(03:52):
work out.
But that's one of many baddecisions the Browns have made
since they've came back.
I mean, what can you say aboutthe Watson debacle?
Yeah, it's terrible.
What can you say about theWatson debacle?
It's, it's, and I'm not reallythe Browns.
To me, when I was younger,bernie Kosar, the eighties was
(04:14):
when I was really into theBrowns and I can't even express
my heartache with that timeperiod, with the drive, the
fumble, all that you know.
That was gut wrench, all thatyou know that was gut wrenching
to me.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I get it, yeah.
I mean, it seems like you know,when you're a fan of a team,
you know you feel the heartachesof the team when there's things
like that happen to as well.
For sure, I get that throughand through.
I love sports to death.
I got a degree in sports,journalism and broadcasting, uh,
so you know, that was the planfor me to go into that realm.
(04:52):
Um, lo and behold, 13 yearslater, I'm I'm doing stand-up
comedy.
So you know, I definitelyunderstand that too as well.
Uh, but I still root for theteams like as, if, you know, I
was a little kid and watchingthem growing up.
It's fun, win or lose to me.
I love all things sports forsure, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And the Pirates I can remember when I was younger,
when they had Barry Bonds andBobby Bonilla.
They were pretty good.
And I remember the WillieStargell days.
I'm old enough to remember thatthey, they were good.
I mean, you know, the Piratesnow are a small market but they
had success.
(05:37):
And, and you know, sports havechanged a lot to where now
everyone is just throwing moneyaround and there's no baseball.
They just let the big marketteams dominate 100%.
That's frustrating.
As a Guardians fan and I'm sureyou being a Pirate fan it's
(05:59):
hard to compete.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
It really is, unless these owners are really going to
really gonna like.
I know it's crazy to me tothink that pittsburgh's a small
market team and baseball whichbecause I would think it would
be one of the bigger marketteams just growing up in that
city and knowing that all it'sabout and everything like that,
I mean I understand it, but Idon't, I don't get it.
But it's just like.
You know, at some point you gotto see what these other big
(06:23):
market teams are doing.
It's like, all right, maybe wespend a little bit of money and
see what happens.
We don't spend all of it and dowhat they're doing, but let's
spend a little bit of money andlet's see Can we get to being a
little bit more relevant and isthis worth it for us?
Or do we just like the I bringit back to the old school movie
Major League.
Just like the I bring it backto the, the old school movie
(06:44):
Major League.
Do we try to do that with, youknow, basically not having the
funds to trying to do it andtrying to find these unknown
rookies that are willing to comein and, you know, work their
way through the farm club andcome up and and want to work for
this, this team in thisorganization.
That's kind of what I thinkshould happen.
(07:06):
I had a whole episode on hereabout uh the mlb and that we got
into a absolutely super longdebate about the money in
baseball and it's it's crazy,the money that's in baseball, uh
.
But it's just to the point nowwhere you know it.
It's it's the old adage you gotto spend money to make money.
(07:27):
You know, I never liked thatgrowing up.
Well, if you don't have themoney to spend, like, you can't
spend the money to make themoney.
But now you can absolutelyspend the money if you didn't
find a way, if you don't have it, to then eventually make the
money.
So you don't have to worryabout that.
(07:49):
But you know, you went tomentor high school and getting a
little bit off track here aboutuh, you and talking sports,
because I could talk about thatall day yeah, but mentor was uh,
which is one of the biggesthigh schools in the state of
ohio, which, um, is great.
So what was it like going tosuch a massive high school like
that?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
well sorry to say this, mike, I don't know where
that.
I went to kirtland high school,which is really very close to
mentor.
Kirtland is a small school butI was fully aware of mentor
being one of the biggest in thestate, uh.
But I went to kirtlandgraduating 88 and we only had
like over barely over 100 uhkids in our class and I loved it
(08:25):
.
You knew everyone.
It was a great community and Iwouldn't trade it for the world
and uh.
But yeah, I lived in Mentor fora number of years and and
enjoyed that too.
You know that was a greatexperience living in Mentor.
But yeah, kirtland High Schoolwas I'm a.
I'm a Hornet.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
This is why I always need to double check Johnny's
facts that he gives me, becausehe said it was so much
confidence to me that I was like, yeah, there's no way this is
wrong.
There's no way that he waswrong.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Me and Johnny have definitely talked about that
that I went to Kirtland.
Oh yeah, kirtland, greatfootball school, and I'm like
yeah, so yeah sorry, johnny.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Yeah, I'm going to give him so much hell for that.
Just guess that any time I can,I'd like to.
It's just in my nature.
Sorry about that.
So Kirkland, it was a smallerschool.
I grew up in West Virginia.
At the time, brook High Schoolwas one of the bigger schools in
(09:37):
the state and I still onlygraduated with like 300 people,
so not a huge school, but byWest Virginia standards, one of
the bigger schools in the state.
So I get that, though, becauseit still was a close-knit
community.
It was there for you, everybodyknew everybody and everybody
(10:00):
was pretty much friends witheverybody.
It was just that kind oftight-knit thing.
It was a small school, likewhat you went through there
being a Hornet.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, yeah, yeah it was.
It was great.
I mean, like I said, prettymuch neighbors with mentors, so
fully a mentor thing, and Idefinitely appreciated going to
a smaller school and that wasgood for me personally, 100%.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I even went to Bethany College, which was a
smaller college, division III,you know.
I mean the whole school had agrand total of 900 people and
students in it.
So I liked it because all of myprofessors knew my name.
They didn't know me as studentone, six, five, four, two, three
(10:50):
, whatever the number on your idwas um, which most of these big
universities is.
That's what you're.
You're known as, uh, from whatI've come together.
And not only did they know whoI was, they knew, uh, that I was
a swimmer.
Most of them came to supporttheir, their students at the
athletic events.
And they also knew thateveryone called me, uh, mike
(11:15):
bono and not michael bonaventura, and they would call me that in
class, which I thought waspretty cool, that they knew a
nickname for me, um, and that'syou know.
That's just that.
And they were willing to helpand they were willing to get to
know their students, which Ithought was awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh, no doubt about it .
Yeah, there's something to besaid about that.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
A hundred percent, and you know you, being a proud
dad of two kids, I'm hoping hegot this right too as well.
But they are both Ohio Stategrads.
What was it like sending?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
them and visiting, you know, to such a big
university.
You know, to me it was reallycool because I, you know, going
back to the sport thing, I lovedOhio State.
I'm a big Ohio State footballfan.
So when my kids decided, or myson was the first to go there
and he, no pressure, didn't saya word to him, he just did his
own thing it was so cool when hewent there I was able to go to
(12:11):
an Ohio State football game withhim and it was just a great
experience.
So, yeah, my kids going therewas awesome and you just
experienced the whole thing inperson, because just growing up
being a big Buckeye fan, neverwent there, saw it on TV, but
just getting a firsthand look atit it was really cool and it
(12:34):
was a great experience for mykids going to Ohio State.
You know, being a big school,they flourished there.
It was a good thing for themsocially, uh, socially and, you
know, academically too.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, absolutely it's .
It's a great university.
Um, they have a great footballprogram.
I am not personally an Ohiostate uh fan by any means.
Uh, and it's weird because Ilive 45 minutes away from the
stadium in Ohio, near Columbus,and I am surrounded by Buckeye
(13:10):
fans.
They can be plain right, theycan be.
I think that's part of thereason why I'm not the biggest
Ohio State fan.
And you know, growing up in WestVirginia, it was always the
Mountaineers.
For me, that was our big school.
That's our Ohio State state, ifyou will right.
Um, and I had some buddies thatyou know, when wvu went through
their little slumps and ohiostate really started to flourish
(13:32):
and started winning theirnational championships, they
like jump ship and they're likeoh, I've been a buckeye fan my
entire.
I was like no, you, I've knownyou since we were in diapers.
No, you haven't.
Like, you know, it was one ofthose and I think that's what
started and it it all standsdown to.
I'm selfish and there's such agood program and they're so good
that it angers me.
Um, that's essentially.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
They're a well-oiled machine and it just kind of is
frustrating as as a sports fan,to just see a team be just so
dominant all the time yeah, theyreally have a good thing going
there and they're good at othersports, of course, but they're
definitely known for footballand you know they've had their
ups and downs.
(14:14):
I mean they've had a reputationof not getting a job done
against big teams.
You know they can do wellagainst the Ten, do good in some
bowl games, but when they getto the SEC teams they struggle.
I'm still not sold on Ryan Day.
I'm not a big fan of his.
(14:36):
I'm thrilled that they won thenational championship, but if
you can't beat Michigan, I'msorry.
That is just a no-no for me.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
That was going to be 100% where I was going to go.
Next, when talking about RyanDay, if you're not beating
Michigan, you could win thenational championship every year
and the city of Columbus willwrite for your job to be taken.
Three years now, I think, threeor four years in a row, you
lose to Michigan and you stillhave your job.
(15:05):
I know you're winning nationalchampionships and that's
important.
Don't I'm not downplaying thatin any way, shape or form, but,
being your biggest rival, that,like I.
I don't watch Ohio state games.
I watch that game every year,the Ohio state, michigan, and I
don't like either school and I'mI don't care who's on.
I'm watching ohio state,michigan, and it's a riveting
(15:30):
game.
It's always an exciting gameand you can't get the job done
and it's not, and hasn't been,high scoring games like you're
used to seeing in the big 10.
Right, it's been close grindthem out games and that's says
something about a coach, in myopinion, regardless of who
you're playing, if you can't winthese close, grind amount games
, that says something, becausewhen you get into the college
(15:53):
football playoff, that they'reall going to be these close,
grind amount games.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, I mean I wanted him out, especially when you
had a home game.
You had chicken, a pretty mucha 500 team on the ropes.
You could have just went inthere and whacked them and they
fell into the trap of whatMichigan wanted was in the
trenches type game and we hadexplosive guys on the ends and
(16:22):
we just played into their handsand, oh, that was torture.
That is one sporting event thatI become a different person
when I watch Michigan Ohio Stateand it is agonizing, mike the
last, just seeing them lose yearafter year.
I mean I didn't like Harbaughone bit but I give Harbaugh
(16:45):
credit.
He figured out the recipe tobeat Ohio State.
He left and the guy that tookover followed suit and yeah, I'm
just not a Ryan Day fan andwe've got to go there next year.
We've got to go there andthey've got our number and I
don't think we're bringing backthe talent that we had.
(17:06):
So I don't know if I can watchit, it's.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
It's gonna be tough to watch as an ohio state fan,
for sure next year michigan hasthe recipe.
They have the talent comingback, the people that are
leaving ohio state.
You're losing Will Howard.
You're losing who was that thatwent to the Steelers?
As well as Swinsky, the edgerusher, sawyer Sawyer, yeah,
(17:32):
sawyer, you're losing him.
You're losing all those bigreceivers.
You're losing a lot of talenton the offensive side of the
ball, which is where you'vestruggled against.
Michigan is putting points onthe board.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm just not crazy about theoutlook.
I mean they have to get toughin the middle, they've got to
get big linemen on both sidesand win that battle.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
You've got to play an old school.
It's going to be a run it downyour throat kind of game.
It's not going to be this highflying.
You've got to have the stamina,the conditioning and the big
boys up front to be able to doit, and I don't think Ohio
State's built that way.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
No, no Day's approach is flashy receivers, high
scoring games, and does notbelieve that defense wins
championships.
And he got lucky.
I mean, I'll give him credit.
He made a heck of a run.
They made an incredible run.
I did not think they would dowhat they did, but it still, to
(18:33):
me does not mean as much aslosing to Michigan.
And you have a true Ohio Statefan.
You'll take a 6-6 record, beatMichigan, then all the other
garbage that you can throw at it.
You know you have to beat thatteam, so, yeah, a hundred
percent, a hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
As a Mountaineer fan, I know it's a long shot every
year for us to even make theplayoffs, but now that the
backyard brawl is back and we'replaying pit if we beat pit,
brawl is back and we're playingpit If we beat pit, we could go
one in nine or one in whatever,and that one win being against
pit, it's a winning season forthe mountaineer fans.
We beat pit, we beat ourbiggest rival, the backyard
(19:17):
brawl.
We can brag about this for ayear.
Yeah, and that's what true fansare looking for.
Yes, the national championshipsand making the playoffs, and I
think the 12 team playoff isgoing to be.
Once they figure out theseating and how that's going to
work, I think it's going toflourish.
I know there's talks of themexpanding it past 16.
(19:37):
That's just going to be toomuch in my opinion.
I think 12 is the magic number.
I never thought that at first,but now that I kind of see how
it played out for a year, Ithink that's the magic number is
12 teams.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yeah, where do you draw the line?
Speaker 1 (19:52):
How many damn teams you want in it.
I think I've heard talks ofthey want to make it like a
March madness.
I was like that's no, likethat's too much for college
football.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Football.
For God's sake, it's notbasketball.
You can play multiple games ina period of time, but football
is brutal.
You can't have those guys dothat to their bodies no, you
would have to severely shortenthe regular season yeah, they'll
be.
I mean, these guys are sittingout bowl games.
You think they're going to playthree, four games for a
national championship.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
You know, I mean there's yeah, there's no way no,
if I did, like some of theseguys, I could possibly be a high
first Brown pick in the draft.
I'm going to risk getting hurtand dropping to the sixth,
seventh God forbid an unsignedfree agent, undrafted free agent
, and lose out on a lot of money.
Like for them, like that's,that's their livelihood, that's
(20:43):
their career Absolutely, youknow so.
I as a fan.
It frustrates me to see playerssit out of ball games.
But, as you know, the sportsbroadcaster in me that you know,
seeing the job and wanting togo into that as that aspect of
it, I get it.
You have a chance to makemillions upon millions of
(21:06):
dollars playing the game thatyou love, that you've been
playing since you were eightyears old.
Yeah, I'm going to make sure Ican do everything I can to be in
the draft and relevant.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, I agree with that.
It's hard to say.
As time went on, I understoodthat decision.
As a fan, you want to see himplay.
But yeah, I agree, you got togo for it.
You can't risk injuries toomuch 100%.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I mean you can kind of understand.
I mean you've worked at thesame company again for around 35
years, which is incredible tothink anymore that somebody's
worked at a career that long.
You know, tell us about yourjob and your longevity at that
company.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Yeah, I'm a visual dimensional inspector at CRT,
component Repair Technologies,and boy, it's been a heck of a
journey.
When I was in high school nodirection.
I went to community college.
I really had no vision of whatI wanted to do and I was working
(22:13):
for a landscape company.
My cousin worked at CRT and hetold me that they were hiring
and I was like all right, whynot?
And it was a shock to thesystem being in a factory.
You know, in those days it waslike a factory Uh.
But once the light went on andI figured things out, the rest
(22:35):
is history and it's been great.
Uh, I did other departmentsleading up to being a visual
dimensional inspector andprobably going on, 25 of those
33 years has been an inspectorand it's just a great position
because it's clean, overall,temperature controlled and you
(22:59):
just get the whole look of theparts that we work on.
We overhaul jet engine partsfor major airlines and it's just
a great experience.
Good people to work around andyou learn a lot.
Good people to work around andyou learn a lot.
(23:21):
And yeah, I, it's hard tobelieve.
Time does fly, as you know.
People say you it's blink of aneye, you can't believe where
you're at.
But yeah, overall theexperience has been great and
yeah, longevity is is not thenorm.
Now People are chasing, youknow, chasing whatever they can
get.
They'll leave a job for acouple bucks just to jump ship.
(23:42):
I've been loyal and it's beenworth it At my age.
Now I'm not going anywhere, butCRT has been good to me.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah, like I said, it's incredible to think
somebody's been at a place thatlong Because, like you know,
like I said, it's incredible tothink somebody's been, you know,
at a place that long Because,like you said, everyone they
kind of like jump ship, they'rechasing the buck, if you will.
Yeah, I know I got a good thinggoing here, but if I go here I
can make two more dollars anhour and you know that's
(24:19):
significant enough to them to tomove and start over and be at
the bottom of the totem poleagain somewhere else and try to.
You just don't see peoplewilling to work their way up
into a company.
Right now I get.
I've been doing comedy 13 years.
That's not a traditional nineto five, you know, like clocking
in at a place, this that is allon me.
I don't have a boss to answerto.
I don't have a record label, anagent, a manager, anything like
(24:43):
that to answer to.
It is just me.
So I I think that's a littledifferent in that you know, um,
I I've been with a company.
Now, um, again, I'm on thisshow.
I don't say their names, but itis a rental car company that
I've been with and looking backit's like, oh, my God, I've
almost been there a year and Ifeel like I just started and
(25:07):
it's like, oh, august makes ayear that I've been with a
company.
So when you say time flies, itabsolutely does, yes, you don't
realize how long you've been ata place until you actually sit
and think like, oh wow, I havebeen there this long, yeah, and
I don't think about it.
So like even you know,customers ask me oh, how long
(25:29):
have you been here?
And it's like, oh, I've beenhere almost a year now, yeah, to
think about it.
Almost a year now to thinkabout it.
But I think when you like a joband you like what you're doing
as that job, the time justdoesn't seem to matter.
Like you said, you don'trealize how long you've been at
(25:51):
a place if you enjoy what you'redoing.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Right Yep, that's so important.
If you enjoy what you're doing,right?
Yep, that's so important.
Yeah, yeah, you, you have to beable to get up every day and
and not dread going in.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
you, you, you have to have a good outlook on things
and yeah, yeah, and that'sprobably not too present these
days I really don't think it isum, and as hypocritical as this
is for me to say, being that youknow my other job being a
comedian and social media beingkind of king for that, I think I
(26:26):
blame social media for that.
With the rise of that and allthese quote unquote content
creators getting paid to makesocial media content, I think it
has infected a little bit ofthe younger generation.
Like, oh, I'll just do that,like it's that easy to just push
(26:48):
a button and all of a suddenyou're famous.
Yeah, if it were, I wouldn'thave a day job, I'd be doing
comedy full time If it was thateasy.
But 13 years later and I'mstill pushing that button,
trying to get it to work.
So it's still work.
(27:09):
I don't discount what thesepeople do to have to come up
with creative ideas day in andday out.
As a comedian, I get it.
I mean, I'm constantly, foreverlooking for new material and to
come up with that on a dailybasis.
It's tough.
You have to have a differentmindset and I don't got to be
(27:31):
able to do that.
And people look at me all thetime.
I'm like, where do you come upwith material?
And it's just like I.
I get that question a lot.
Uh, luckily I have a 16 yearold son who is hysterical and
some of the stuff that he does,uh, so that's a big help, uh,
being a father for sure, yeah,um, and it's just, you know,
(27:54):
some of the time it's like Ijust live my daily life and then
I get on stage and I report itand I hope to God.
It's funny some of the times,and for the most part it has
been for the past 13 years.
So I'm kind of a one trick ponyin that and I'm sticking with
that mentality and rolling withit until it doesn't work anymore
.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That is a long time.
That is a long time to be doingthat, because, yeah, you have
to be careful nowadays what yousay on stage.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
That's the biggest thing.
Now.
That's the hardest thing Is youknow you have to toe that line
and as a comedian you've got toknow when you've crossed it, but
a lot of times you don't, untilyou're getting that big laugh
and then you say one more thingand then the crowd goes silent.
(28:42):
Yeah, it's like, okay, there'sthe line, there it is, that's.
I hope I don't get canceled forthat part of it, but everything
else was funny up until then.
Uh, that's the.
That's the biggest fear forcomedians is the cancel culture
out there.
It's still happening.
There's still people that getupset over everything.
(29:05):
I don't understand it, because Igrew up in a very big, large
Italian family and it was ablue-coll of family too.
My great grandfather, mygrandfather and my father were
all steel mill workers, so Igrew up in that.
But also, if you weren't goingalong with the jokes that were
(29:30):
happening in the family, youwere the joke and you were going
to like either get a thickerskin and not be offended by it
and start to go along with it,have fun, or you were crying
like.
That was like essentially it,because we always crack jokes
with everybody.
I still crack jokes with myfather all the time.
Every time I call him and youknow I see him all the time now,
(29:53):
uh, he's, he shaved his head,uh, because he was losing his
hair.
Every time I see him I rub hishead and I say I need a little
bit of luck.
And I rub his head yeah, likethat's the kind of family I grew
up in.
We rag on each other and Ithink it's helped.
I guess my generation, if youwill have that thicker skin, but
I don't think we're gettingthat anywhere else.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
No, no.
And I mean geez, oh man, whywould you go to a comedy show if
you're not prepared to hearsomething a little bit off edge?
You know you, to make peoplelaugh you have to challenge a
little bit.
You got to go with what's goingon in the world and everyday
(30:39):
topics.
I mean you have to laugh alittle bit.
Jeez, everyone's so uptight butyeah.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
I think if people just laughed more, we would be a
much happier society.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
No doubt about it, jeez.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
And I love it.
I do when I'm at a show and Ido, I guess, quote unquote a
controversial joke that somebodygets offended at, and then they
want to scream up on stage likethey're going to ruin my act.
It's just like okay, Iunderstand.
You are 100% entitled to youropinion and your feelings.
(31:17):
Here's the thing.
I'm a comedian, I'm joking andyou just interrupted me at doing
my job.
I have a microphone.
You were all in proximity tothis speaker system and I'm
going to ruin your night now,like now, you've just made it my
personal goal because everyoneelse is laughing, but you,
(31:39):
you're ruining it for everybodyelse here.
Now I'm going to ruin yournight.
I'm going to push that buttonuntil you leave because you're
not going to enjoy the show.
That's me as a comedian.
Everyone else normally gets aneven bigger laugh at it, because
what people realize thesehecklers don't realize is when
(32:00):
they're heckling and everyoneelse is laughing, they're
ruining the show for everybodyelse.
So when the comedian starts tohone in on that person and pick
on them and heckle back at them,the crowd loves it, because now
we're finding out the problemand they love to hear somebody
(32:23):
that is trying to ruin it foreverybody else.
Get it ruined for just them.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Yeah, you're weeding out the trouble.
Get them out and enjoy the restof the show.
Do your thing.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
The nice thing is when you work these comedy clubs
, there is somebody that standsin the back of the show, do your
thing.
The nice thing is is when youwork these comedy clubs like
there is somebody that stands inthe back of the room who their
sole job I mean it is security,like they will give you a look
up on stage and you can just belike, yeah, okay, I've had
enough, get them out and they'llremove them.
It's nice to have that now,where I'm at still considered
(32:55):
being an up and coming comedian,I don't have that all the time,
so I just have to do what I doand just make it so unbearable
for them that they just leaveand everyone else enjoys it.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Yeah, good for you, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
It's funny because I got dubbed the angry white comic
13 years ago by a buddy of minewho was hosting open mic nights
, which is where I got my start,and I would just go on like
(33:43):
these long filled rants on stageabout my day and working in
customer service and the peoplethat I've dealt with and some of
the stupid questions that Iwould get asked on a daily basis
, and he dubbed me the angrywhite comic and, lo and behold,
13 years later, I'm still knownas the angry white comic.
So, yeah, you're going to ashow where the guy is known as
that and you think it's going toend well for you.
It's really not.
I promise you it's not going toruin your night.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah, if you buy a ticket, you should have some
awareness of who you're seeingand what their reputation is.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
100% yeah 100%, and I have this show here which is
why it's called Ride Home Rants,because I go on rants and it is
heard by over 16,000 people inover 60 countries Like if you
don't know by now who you'rebuying a ticket for, this is
(34:29):
your fault.
Absolutely Shame on you.
Yeah, this is 100% your fault.
I take no blame for this at alland I I hope I at that point, I
hope I ruined your night, right, I hope I did man, good for you
with the audience.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
You have a nice audience there, mike.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Thank you, man.
I appreciate it.
It's been five years of workingat this show here.
Now In December makes a fullfive years for us.
We are in the fifth season ofthe show, so it is.
It has been a work in progress,but I love every minute of this
and this podcast and everythinglike that.
I never thought I'd be thepodcast guy either, but, lo and
(35:10):
behold, covid taught me a lotabout what needs to happen, uh,
in the realm of comedy andeverything like that, and I
never thought.
I thought honestly, I'll giveit a try, I'll probably put out
like two episodes and that getbored with it and then just it
won't do what I think it's gonnado and I will just call it
(35:32):
quits and focus my energy onsomething else.
And no, I dive full-fledgedinto this and I love it.
That's awesome.
Good for you.
Thank you, man.
Appreciate that I didn'tmention too.
You know, being from a big, youknow, italian family, though
you, your family's from Scotlandand you actually recently had,
you know, a chance to visitthere a few times.
(35:53):
You know what what's Scotlandlike?
I've never really been out ofthe country, so I always love to
hear everybody's takes on whatit's like in other countries.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
It is incredible scenery and just going there.
I've been there twice and thelast time I went was last summer
with my kids Just incrediblewas last summer with my kids,
just incredible.
Just, I have so much family outthere because my parents came
over in 62 63.
They came over to the UnitedStates so they were one of the
few that came over, so justknowing that I have so much
(36:31):
family over there makes thattrip so much easier.
And but a lot to see.
The scenery is beautiful thehighlands, the, the bodies of
water, just incredible.
And yeah, we were out therelast year for over a week and
saw so much, saw, saw the.
(36:54):
And yeah, just amazing to thinkyou know what my parents
sacrificed to come over to theUnited States and I appreciate
that and I hope to go over thereseveral more times just to see
more.
There's so much to see outthere.
The history there is amazingand incredible trip.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
Yeah yeah, um, I like it.
It's been a bucket list for mywife and I.
She's full Irish, I'm fullItalian.
We want to visit Italy andIreland at some point in our
lives.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Got to do it, Mike.
I mean, yeah, that has been a.
Dublin.
You can go right in Dublin withAer Lingus.
Aer Lingus is right in the thedublin and, yeah, I'd recommend
it, mike yeah, 100.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
It is like I said.
It is on our our bucket list ofthings to do.
The only problem with that isright now is my wife is like she
always dives into to theculture.
Uh, for you know the irish andyou know italian now bearing an
italian seeing my family andthat she's afraid that if she
goes to ireland she's nevergoing to want to come back.
(38:15):
Uh, that's the problem with heronce she gets to the homeland,
she's never going to want tocome back.
And I get it.
It looks beautiful, I wouldlove to see it.
Um, and I kind of have the samefear about italy.
Like I'm going to get there andI'm just going to love it so
much that it's like I just livehere now.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
This is not going home.
Yeah, so affordable.
You hear about people buyingproperties out in Italy for so
little.
It's amazing.
I mean, yeah, yeah, so much tosee in Italy.
Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you willget there someday yeah, I hope
(38:54):
we do.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Um, for sure, it is one of, like, the top thing on,
like, if we don't do anythingelse on our bucket list, this is
the one thing that we are doing, um, no matter what we have to
do, so, uh, it will happen.
You know, I'm very big intospeaking things into existence,
uh.
(39:15):
So, yeah, I keep just saying,yeah, it's not if we go, it's
when we go, uh, so that's whereI'm at with that uh.
But yeah, I've always, alwayswanted to visit, uh, those
countries at all, and especiallybecause I know I still have
family over there, and lookingat my ancestry, knowing that I
am, you know, sicilian Visitingthere and knowing that I have
(39:37):
family there is, is a big thingfor me, and wanting to go and
essentially find them where theyactually live at in Sicily, I
think would just be a cooljourney.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Oh, and they'll show you everything.
I'm sure they will be soaccommodating you'll.
You'll love the experience, nodoubt about it.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
100 yeah, I can't, I can't wait to to to make it
happen there.
Um for sure, um, have you beenin like I mean, when you just
visited um scot, there weren'tlike any like concerts there,
because I've heard you've beento a couple of, you know,
concerts that had differentvenues.
You know, over the years, youknow, has there been any artists
(40:18):
that you've seen, eitherwhether it's in the States or
outside the country?
You know that, that you've beenat and you know want to, that
had a great experience at, orany special venues or anything
like that want to that had agreat experience at or any
special venues or anything likethat.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Well, you know, when I went to europe, I we went to
london, we went to scotland andwe went to france.
That was the first venture andthen the last time we went it
was just scotland and we went toliverpool, but uh, no big
events.
Uh, yeah, it was just strictly.
(40:54):
One time was with crt.
I did go to france at crt andthat was really awesome to to do
that because that was juststrictly france and we got to
see some sites and did the workthing as a good balance.
But yeah, no, no big events outthere, but just the history and
(41:18):
the scenery was just incredible.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yeah, for sure.
Um, definitely love that, andyou know that you get those
opportunities, especially eveneven though it's a work trip.
You know, I know they like OK,we're in France, like this is a
work trip, but people are goingto want to see some sites.
They're going to want to, youknow, venture around a little
bit.
We can't make it all about work, get the work done and then be
(41:45):
able to have fun.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
I think that's amazing the work done and then
be able to have fun.
I think that's amazing.
Yeah, for sure, rider cup.
I missed a rider cup was when Iwent to france at work.
The rider cup already, uh, wenton and of course, the united
states lost, as they usually doon forums, uh, but it was.
That was cool.
I actually we were so close tothe course, we actually did walk
(42:10):
around the course and I tooksome pictures of that because
that would have been a greatexperience to that yeah, you
know you.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
I hear you're a big golf guy.
Uh, too, as well.
Um, you know, is that one ofthe favorite courses that you
visited or even got to play at?
Or do you have a favoritecourse that that you visited or
played at?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Well, you know, being from Scotland, my family being
from Scotland, st Andrews wasthe birthplace of golf.
When we did go in July, we wentto St Andrews and took a
picture on the the bridge.
That was phenomenal.
I did see the Ry cup inkentucky.
(42:55):
That was on us oil and that wasoutstanding.
That was, uh, a victory forunited states.
So yeah, I do love golf.
The masters to me is, you know,through years I have just grown
an affection for the Masters.
I will take that over anysporting event.
(43:17):
I can watch the Masters fromstart to finish.
I love golf.
I mean, football now to me isnot that big of a deal, since
the Browns are so bad, you know,kind of transitioned in the
golf.
But yeah, I love the masters.
You know I used to play golf.
(43:37):
I don't do it as much as I usedto, but I follow it.
Yeah, the the masters isawesome and, uh, just
outstanding to see that inperson.
The Ryder Cup is so intense.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Oh yeah, the Masters is probably one of the only golf
tournaments that I will watchfrom start to finish and follow
from start to finish.
I'll catch the last couple daysof most of the tournaments just
to kind of see whereeverybody's at.
I like golf.
Wish I could get out and playmore.
(44:16):
Schedule doesn't quite allow me.
But big golf guy here too aswell.
Actually, two of the sponsorsof my show are golf related,
which I think is phenomenalEverybody.
So Shank it to Golf foreverybody.
The newer listeners out there,check them out for sure, because
(44:40):
they have a lot of great golfapparel.
They are golf apparel for theeveryday person.
You're not going to go out andshoot a six under par.
You're probably going to shoota six over par.
You're probably going to shoota six over par, but you're going
to look good while you're doingit.
I can tell you, I can promiseyou, that the fits are
phenomenal there.
One of my buddies has his owngolf line and golf glove line.
(45:06):
That he does too as well.
And Matt Lando Landowski andSweet Hand Sports.
Check both of them out.
You'll find all the links inthe description of this episode
too as well.
Promo codes will be there.
Save you some money too as well.
But yeah, I love everythingabout golf and I noticed, like
you said, as I'm getting olderI'm drawn more to golf.
(45:29):
I don't know if that's justlike a part of getting older as
a man you just get more and moredrawn to golf and just a
calming, relaxing sport andbeing able to something to
follow where it's not a lot ofhigh energy.
I don't want to say it's nothigh energy because it has its
moments, want to say I don'twant to say it's not high energy
(45:50):
because it has its moments, butit's not like football, where
there's action all the time andpeople are just getting taken
out where all the time it's.
It's a nice change of pace, Ithink for most people it yeah, I
, I enjoy golf just becauseyou're on your own.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
You have no support.
It is all up to you are hittinga ball that is not moving and
yeah, there's, it's not a teamgame, besides a Ryder cup,
obviously, but still, ultimatelyyou are on your own with that.
But yeah I, just golf.
To me is is just so special.
(46:26):
I used to enjoy it.
I hope to get back into it, butI follow it and it's.
It's definitely so relaxing ifyou take that approach.
There's so much to seebeautiful courses out there.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
A hundred percent.
I would love to get to morecourses than the ones I've I've
I've been to.
But yeah, like I said, golf isit's just.
It's like you said, it'srelaxing, but it is it's just
you out there, and I think,growing up as a competitive
swimmer too as well, that thatkind of.
I kind of relate to that alittle bit more, because it was
(47:06):
just me in the pool.
I know, obviously, relays, likeyou said, with the Ryder Cup,
relays were a team, but at theend of the day you're the one in
the water and there's no onethere to help you, right?
So I kind of think that thathelps me a lot with golf too as
well.
And I don't know if we haveenough time on the show to talk
(47:29):
about that in sports all daylong, because I just looked at
how long we've been talking here.
John, we are running down nearthe end of the episode here and
I have one more segment I got toget in before we get off of
here and for the new listenersout there, that is the Fast
Fitty Five.
It is five random questionsfrom the wonderful manager of
the podcast, johnny FittyFalcone.
(47:52):
John, I know you know Johnnypretty well.
I don't know if you've gottenpersonally to hear some of the
random questions that he comesup with on a daily basis, but
these are kind of rapid fire.
You can elaborate if you needto.
They have nothing to do withwhat we've been talking about
(48:12):
for the better part of an hournow.
So if you are ready, we'll goahead and do the Fast 55.
Let's do it, all righty.
Question number one is LasVegas overrated or underrated?
Speaker 2 (48:28):
or underrated.
Oh God, Vegas is awesome.
I love Vegas.
It's not overrated, underrated.
It's good shit, man.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
So you're saying it's perfect as is.
Yeah, perfect.
Question number two Shouldevery house have a shed, or is a
big garage good enough?
Speaker 2 (48:47):
I would lean towards a big garage.
Good enough, I would leantowards a bigger garage.
Speaker 1 (48:53):
Yeah, I'm a garage guy myself.
I wish I had one now.
I don't Garage.
You can't go wrong with a goodbig garage.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:03):
Question Any more structures than you need?
Speaker 1 (49:08):
100% Question number three is Tom Any more structures
than you need A hundred percent.
Question number three is TomHanks or Al Pacino a better
actor?
Speaker 2 (49:20):
Boy.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
That's a tough one.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Tom Hanks is pretty damn good.
But I thank God we have notgone political.
But Tom Hanks is a little loweron my list based on recent news
stories, but I would still go,tom Hanks.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
I get it.
The inner Paisan in me can't goagainst Pacino, but it's a very
close one for me, just strictlyon acting.
Oh God, that's a coin flip forme, honestly, with both of those
two.
Yeah, question number four ohLord, who's the Browns' best
(50:04):
quarterback of all time?
Speaker 2 (50:08):
Otto Graham No-brainer to me, yeah, that's.
I mean, come on now.
Never saw him all but OttoGraham.
Championships is all.
It's all about championships.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
A hundred percent.
And last question here arepropane or charcoal grills
better?
Speaker 2 (50:28):
Damn, I'm lazy so I'd go with propane, but I know a
burger tastes a hell of a lotbetter with charcoal.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
You're not wrong, I've had both.
I've gotten lazy.
I have a propane grill now.
Propane's quick, it's easierthan charcoal.
But you're right, nothingtastes better than when you get
that charcoal flavor to it.
I'd have to go charcoal, butthe laziness in me honestly is
(50:56):
propane for that one.
But that was the Fast 55.
Like I said, he was a littlebit more mild of questions than
what we normally get from Johnny.
On that he comes up with somereal zingers and they none of
them make sense.
I've been getting this sinceI've known him since college and
(51:20):
I've been getting thesequestions literally since
college and normally it's he has.
Like he comes up with theseweird scenario type questions
Like all right, you're lockedinto racquetball court, it's you
Batman, a gorilla and ConorMcGregor.
You have a racquetball set ofroad flares and a boxing glove
(51:42):
who comes out alive.
Like those are the types ofthings that run through this
man's head and he would ask methem all the time, like he would
just text me these randomquestions.
And one day I was just like,hey, man, what if we just made a
segment on the show whereliterally we'll call it the fast
(52:05):
55, we'll make it rapid fire,but it's literally your
questions, that you ask on adaily basis and and we'll ask
the guest these questions.
He was like oh my God, I lovethat idea.
And lo and behold, we've beendoing it for four years now.
He keeps coming up with newquestions every single week, and
I love it.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
Well, I can thank Johnny.
That was not too difficult, butstill made me think a little
bit so good.
Speaker 1 (52:34):
We like to give a little bit of brain teasers near
the end of the show and have afun way to end the show.
But, john, like I said, we arerunning down near the end of the
episode and I do give everyguest this opportunity at the
end of the show.
Opportunity at the end of theshow If there's anything you
want to get out there, ifthere's anything you want to
promote, whether it's your workor even if it's just a good
message to get out there.
I'm going to give you about aminute and the floor is yours.
Speaker 2 (52:58):
Wow, mike, I was not prepared for that.
I really had a great time onthe show.
I didn't know what to expect.
I mean, I had somewhat of anidea what to expect, but it's
been a great experience.
You asked great questions, youknow.
You know you got to approachlife and in a good way, a
(53:35):
positive way.
Take things as they happen andlearn from it, grow from it.
And I think I'm rambling on, Idon't know if you want to edit
this part, but I mean, I mean,I've had a great time talking
with you, it's been a greatexperience and, uh, you made it
real easy for me.
(53:55):
So I appreciate that, mike, anduh, you know, I hope all your
guests feel the same way not aproblem, man, we appreciate
having you on.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
Uh, we definitely was .
It was great to talk to you, uh, for sure, and get the
basically shoot the shit withyou for about an hour here.
It's pretty easy when you'vegot two sports fans and you can
kind of dive into that world andmake it easy for sure.
I love getting to talk to newpeople and getting to meet them
and see what they have.
(54:24):
I do like the message that yougave there at the end of the day
, because at the end of the dayyou know positivity and you know
just attacking life in apositive way can only make
things better.
And failure it does not meanyou lost, it just means you
learned something is what I takefrom the message.
And you learn every day and ifyou learn something new, then
(54:49):
good for you.
You made, you made the daygreat because you learned
something new, and that's theway I think and I wish a lot of
people had that mentality andI'm glad you mentioned it too,
especially at the end of theshow.
I'm all about helping peoplepromote things, but when they
have a good message to end theshow, I love that even more.
When they have a good messageto end the show.
I love that even more, but thatis actually going to do it here
(55:12):
for this week's episode of theRide Home Rants podcast.
Again, I want to thank my guest, john Middleton, for joining
the show.
Again, a lot of fun to get totalk to you and get to learn a
little bit more about you and,as always, if you enjoyed the
show, be a friend, tell a friend.
If you didn't tell them anyways, they might like it just
because you didn't.
That's going to do it for meand I will see y'all next week.
Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ride Home
Rants podcast.
This is, as always, your host,mike Bono.
I have a great guest for ustoday.
He comes to us all the way fromthe suburbs of Cleveland, ohio,
and that is John Middleton, whojoins the show.
John, thanks for joining,brother.
Hey, great to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Mike, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Not a problem at all.
Like I said, you know you'refrom the suburbs of Cleveland
originally and mentor.
What was it like growing up inone of the biggest suburbs of
Cleveland and being that closeto the city?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It was really cool being close to Cleveland and me
being a big sports fan, it justreally made it feel personal
with sports, the heartache.
But Cleveland to me is justvery special to me and being
that close is great.
(00:56):
I mean commute-wise, easy toget downtown and it's just a
great area to be a part of.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, I mean I've heard nothing but good things
from the Mentor area.
I've done a lot of comedy showsin the Mentor area, so I love
getting to go up there and doshows there too as well.
It's always fun.
It's always a great crowd tooas well.
Haven't been able to get intothe big city of Cleveland yet I
am still working on that too aswell but loved Cleveland every
time I've gone up there.
(01:25):
Like I said, I have no badexperiences so far up in
Cleveland and being a sports fan.
When you mentioned heartache, Iam a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, so
if that tells you anythingabout heartache, I've learned
from pretty much the best of thebest growing up near the
Pittsburgh area, but Clevelanddidn't have that great of a team
(01:47):
before in the in the heydayseither too as well.
So I definitely understand thatbeing a big sports fan and
loving your city, no matter what.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, yeah, you have to be loyal.
I cannot go away from myhometown.
It's just.
I've known people to do that,especially with the football.
You know I I need people thatwill root for the guardians
slash Indians.
And then they love the Steelersbecause the Steelers are just a
(02:18):
good organization.
They win and people got tiredof the Browns being just.
They've been absolutely awfulsince they came back to the NFL.
They had one little stretchwith Baker Mayfield, but other
than that it's been tough.
So yeah, but I'm loyal throughand through, no matter what.
(02:39):
I can't shift gears and goelsewhere.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I understand that a hundred percent.
Like I said, I grew up about anhour outside of Pittsburgh, in
a little town in West Virginiaand with there being no pro
sports teams in West Virginia,it's kind of a fair game.
But growing up that close tothe stadium, I always root for
the Pittsburgh teams, especiallythe Steelers.
But I am a Buccaneers fan bytrade.
So thank you to the ClevelandBrowns for letting us have him.
(03:06):
I think that was probably thedumbest decision they've made
and letting him go elsewhereworked out for us so far.
So I can't complain about thatone bit, so for sure.
But yeah, I know Cleveland.
Yeah, that's them with Baker.
That's the last I can rememberin my 36 years of being around
(03:26):
that they were relevant in theNFL.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yeah, they really had a good thing going there and
I'm not sure what went wrong.
But Mayfield, he's a gutsy guyand there's no doubt in Tampa
he's just got weapons.
He's flourishing there and goodfor him.
I liked him and I wasdisappointed when things didn't
(03:52):
work out.
But that's one of many baddecisions the Browns have made
since they've came back.
I mean, what can you say aboutthe Watson debacle?
Yeah, it's terrible.
What can you say about theWatson debacle?
It's, it's, and I'm not reallythe Browns.
To me, when I was younger,bernie Kosar, the eighties was
(04:14):
when I was really into theBrowns and I can't even express
my heartache with that timeperiod, with the drive, the
fumble, all that you know.
That was gut wrench, all thatyou know that was gut wrenching
to me.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I get it, yeah.
I mean, it seems like you know,when you're a fan of a team,
you know you feel the heartachesof the team when there's things
like that happen to as well.
For sure, I get that throughand through.
I love sports to death.
I got a degree in sports,journalism and broadcasting, uh,
so you know, that was the planfor me to go into that realm.
(04:52):
Um, lo and behold, 13 yearslater, I'm I'm doing stand-up
comedy.
So you know, I definitelyunderstand that too as well.
Uh, but I still root for theteams like as, if, you know, I
was a little kid and watchingthem growing up.
It's fun, win or lose to me.
I love all things sports forsure, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
And the Pirates I can remember when I was younger,
when they had Barry Bonds andBobby Bonilla.
They were pretty good.
And I remember the WillieStargell days.
I'm old enough to remember thatthey, they were good.
I mean, you know, the Piratesnow are a small market but they
had success.
(05:37):
And, and you know, sports havechanged a lot to where now
everyone is just throwing moneyaround and there's no baseball.
They just let the big marketteams dominate 100%.
That's frustrating.
As a Guardians fan and I'm sureyou being a Pirate fan it's
(05:59):
hard to compete.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
It really is, unless these owners are really going to
really gonna like.
I know it's crazy to me tothink that pittsburgh's a small
market team and baseball whichbecause I would think it would
be one of the bigger marketteams just growing up in that
city and knowing that all it'sabout and everything like that,
I mean I understand it, but Idon't, I don't get it.
But it's just like.
You know, at some point you gotto see what these other big
(06:23):
market teams are doing.
It's like, all right, maybe wespend a little bit of money and
see what happens.
We don't spend all of it and dowhat they're doing, but let's
spend a little bit of money andlet's see Can we get to being a
little bit more relevant and isthis worth it for us?
Or do we just like the I bringit back to the old school movie
Major League.
Just like the I bring it backto the, the old school movie
(06:44):
Major League.
Do we try to do that with, youknow, basically not having the
funds to trying to do it andtrying to find these unknown
rookies that are willing to comein and, you know, work their
way through the farm club andcome up and and want to work for
this, this team in thisorganization.
That's kind of what I thinkshould happen.
(07:06):
I had a whole episode on hereabout uh the mlb and that we got
into a absolutely super longdebate about the money in
baseball and it's it's crazy,the money that's in baseball, uh
.
But it's just to the point nowwhere you know it.
It's it's the old adage you gotto spend money to make money.
(07:27):
You know, I never liked thatgrowing up.
Well, if you don't have themoney to spend, like, you can't
spend the money to make themoney.
But now you can absolutelyspend the money if you didn't
find a way, if you don't have it, to then eventually make the
money.
So you don't have to worryabout that.
(07:49):
But you know, you went tomentor high school and getting a
little bit off track here aboutuh, you and talking sports,
because I could talk about thatall day yeah, but mentor was uh,
which is one of the biggesthigh schools in the state of
ohio, which, um, is great.
So what was it like going tosuch a massive high school like
that?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
well sorry to say this, mike, I don't know where
that.
I went to kirtland high school,which is really very close to
mentor.
Kirtland is a small school butI was fully aware of mentor
being one of the biggest in thestate, uh.
But I went to kirtlandgraduating 88 and we only had
like over barely over 100 uhkids in our class and I loved it
(08:25):
.
You knew everyone.
It was a great community and Iwouldn't trade it for the world
and uh.
But yeah, I lived in Mentor fora number of years and and
enjoyed that too.
You know that was a greatexperience living in Mentor.
But yeah, kirtland High Schoolwas I'm a.
I'm a Hornet.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
This is why I always need to double check Johnny's
facts that he gives me, becausehe said it was so much
confidence to me that I was like, yeah, there's no way this is
wrong.
There's no way that he waswrong.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Me and Johnny have definitely talked about that
that I went to Kirtland.
Oh yeah, kirtland, greatfootball school, and I'm like
yeah, so yeah sorry, johnny.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Yeah, I'm going to give him so much hell for that.
Just guess that any time I can,I'd like to.
It's just in my nature.
Sorry about that.
So Kirkland, it was a smallerschool.
I grew up in West Virginia.
At the time, brook High Schoolwas one of the bigger schools in
(09:37):
the state and I still onlygraduated with like 300 people,
so not a huge school, but byWest Virginia standards, one of
the bigger schools in the state.
So I get that, though, becauseit still was a close-knit
community.
It was there for you, everybodyknew everybody and everybody
(10:00):
was pretty much friends witheverybody.
It was just that kind oftight-knit thing.
It was a small school, likewhat you went through there
being a Hornet.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, yeah, yeah it was.
It was great.
I mean, like I said, prettymuch neighbors with mentors, so
fully a mentor thing, and Idefinitely appreciated going to
a smaller school and that wasgood for me personally, 100%.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I even went to Bethany College, which was a
smaller college, division III,you know.
I mean the whole school had agrand total of 900 people and
students in it.
So I liked it because all of myprofessors knew my name.
They didn't know me as studentone, six, five, four, two, three
(10:50):
, whatever the number on your idwas um, which most of these big
universities is.
That's what you're.
You're known as, uh, from whatI've come together.
And not only did they know whoI was, they knew, uh, that I was
a swimmer.
Most of them came to supporttheir, their students at the
athletic events.
And they also knew thateveryone called me, uh, mike
(11:15):
bono and not michael bonaventura, and they would call me that in
class, which I thought waspretty cool, that they knew a
nickname for me, um, and that'syou know.
That's just that.
And they were willing to helpand they were willing to get to
know their students, which Ithought was awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh, no doubt about it .
Yeah, there's something to besaid about that.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
A hundred percent, and you know you, being a proud
dad of two kids, I'm hoping hegot this right too as well.
But they are both Ohio Stategrads.
What was it like sending?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
them and visiting, you know, to such a big
university.
You know, to me it was reallycool because I, you know, going
back to the sport thing, I lovedOhio State.
I'm a big Ohio State footballfan.
So when my kids decided, or myson was the first to go there
and he, no pressure, didn't saya word to him, he just did his
own thing it was so cool when hewent there I was able to go to
(12:11):
an Ohio State football game withhim and it was just a great
experience.
So, yeah, my kids going therewas awesome and you just
experienced the whole thing inperson, because just growing up
being a big Buckeye fan, neverwent there, saw it on TV, but
just getting a firsthand look atit it was really cool and it
(12:34):
was a great experience for mykids going to Ohio State.
You know, being a big school,they flourished there.
It was a good thing for themsocially, uh, socially and, you
know, academically too.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, absolutely it's .
It's a great university.
Um, they have a great footballprogram.
I am not personally an Ohiostate uh fan by any means.
Uh, and it's weird because Ilive 45 minutes away from the
stadium in Ohio, near Columbus,and I am surrounded by Buckeye
(13:10):
fans.
They can be plain right, theycan be.
I think that's part of thereason why I'm not the biggest
Ohio State fan.
And you know, growing up in WestVirginia, it was always the
Mountaineers.
For me, that was our big school.
That's our Ohio State state, ifyou will right.
Um, and I had some buddies thatyou know, when wvu went through
their little slumps and ohiostate really started to flourish
(13:32):
and started winning theirnational championships, they
like jump ship and they're likeoh, I've been a buckeye fan my
entire.
I was like no, you, I've knownyou since we were in diapers.
No, you haven't.
Like, you know, it was one ofthose and I think that's what
started and it it all standsdown to.
I'm selfish and there's such agood program and they're so good
that it angers me.
Um, that's essentially.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
They're a well-oiled machine and it just kind of is
frustrating as as a sports fan,to just see a team be just so
dominant all the time yeah, theyreally have a good thing going
there and they're good at othersports, of course, but they're
definitely known for footballand you know they've had their
ups and downs.
(14:14):
I mean they've had a reputationof not getting a job done
against big teams.
You know they can do wellagainst the Ten, do good in some
bowl games, but when they getto the SEC teams they struggle.
I'm still not sold on Ryan Day.
I'm not a big fan of his.
(14:36):
I'm thrilled that they won thenational championship, but if
you can't beat Michigan, I'msorry.
That is just a no-no for me.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
That was going to be 100% where I was going to go.
Next, when talking about RyanDay, if you're not beating
Michigan, you could win thenational championship every year
and the city of Columbus willwrite for your job to be taken.
Three years now, I think, threeor four years in a row, you
lose to Michigan and you stillhave your job.
(15:05):
I know you're winning nationalchampionships and that's
important.
Don't I'm not downplaying thatin any way, shape or form, but,
being your biggest rival, that,like I.
I don't watch Ohio state games.
I watch that game every year,the Ohio state, michigan, and I
don't like either school and I'mI don't care who's on.
I'm watching ohio state,michigan, and it's a riveting
(15:30):
game.
It's always an exciting gameand you can't get the job done
and it's not, and hasn't been,high scoring games like you're
used to seeing in the big 10.
Right, it's been close grindthem out games and that's says
something about a coach, in myopinion, regardless of who
you're playing, if you can't winthese close, grind amount games
, that says something, becausewhen you get into the college
(15:53):
football playoff, that they'reall going to be these close,
grind amount games.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, I mean I wanted him out, especially when you
had a home game.
You had chicken, a pretty mucha 500 team on the ropes.
You could have just went inthere and whacked them and they
fell into the trap of whatMichigan wanted was in the
trenches type game and we hadexplosive guys on the ends and
(16:22):
we just played into their handsand, oh, that was torture.
That is one sporting event thatI become a different person
when I watch Michigan Ohio Stateand it is agonizing, mike the
last, just seeing them lose yearafter year.
I mean I didn't like Harbaughone bit but I give Harbaugh
(16:45):
credit.
He figured out the recipe tobeat Ohio State.
He left and the guy that tookover followed suit and yeah, I'm
just not a Ryan Day fan andwe've got to go there next year.
We've got to go there andthey've got our number and I
don't think we're bringing backthe talent that we had.
(17:06):
So I don't know if I can watchit, it's.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
It's gonna be tough to watch as an ohio state fan,
for sure next year michigan hasthe recipe.
They have the talent comingback, the people that are
leaving ohio state.
You're losing Will Howard.
You're losing who was that thatwent to the Steelers?
As well as Swinsky, the edgerusher, sawyer Sawyer, yeah,
(17:32):
sawyer, you're losing him.
You're losing all those bigreceivers.
You're losing a lot of talenton the offensive side of the
ball, which is where you'vestruggled against.
Michigan is putting points onthe board.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm just not crazy about theoutlook.
I mean they have to get toughin the middle, they've got to
get big linemen on both sidesand win that battle.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
You've got to play an old school.
It's going to be a run it downyour throat kind of game.
It's not going to be this highflying.
You've got to have the stamina,the conditioning and the big
boys up front to be able to doit, and I don't think Ohio
State's built that way.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
No, no Day's approach is flashy receivers, high
scoring games, and does notbelieve that defense wins
championships.
And he got lucky.
I mean, I'll give him credit.
He made a heck of a run.
They made an incredible run.
I did not think they would dowhat they did, but it still, to
(18:33):
me does not mean as much aslosing to Michigan.
And you have a true Ohio Statefan.
You'll take a 6-6 record, beatMichigan, then all the other
garbage that you can throw at it.
You know you have to beat thatteam, so, yeah, a hundred
percent, a hundred percent.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
As a Mountaineer fan, I know it's a long shot every
year for us to even make theplayoffs, but now that the
backyard brawl is back and we'replaying pit if we beat pit,
brawl is back and we're playingpit If we beat pit, we could go
one in nine or one in whatever,and that one win being against
pit, it's a winning season forthe mountaineer fans.
We beat pit, we beat ourbiggest rival, the backyard
(19:17):
brawl.
We can brag about this for ayear.
Yeah, and that's what true fansare looking for.
Yes, the national championshipsand making the playoffs, and I
think the 12 team playoff isgoing to be.
Once they figure out theseating and how that's going to
work, I think it's going toflourish.
I know there's talks of themexpanding it past 16.
(19:37):
That's just going to be toomuch in my opinion.
I think 12 is the magic number.
I never thought that at first,but now that I kind of see how
it played out for a year, Ithink that's the magic number is
12 teams.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yeah, where do you draw the line?
Speaker 1 (19:52):
How many damn teams you want in it.
I think I've heard talks ofthey want to make it like a
March madness.
I was like that's no, likethat's too much for college
football.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Football.
For God's sake, it's notbasketball.
You can play multiple games ina period of time, but football
is brutal.
You can't have those guys dothat to their bodies no, you
would have to severely shortenthe regular season yeah, they'll
be.
I mean, these guys are sittingout bowl games.
You think they're going to playthree, four games for a
national championship.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
You know, I mean there's yeah, there's no way no,
if I did, like some of theseguys, I could possibly be a high
first Brown pick in the draft.
I'm going to risk getting hurtand dropping to the sixth,
seventh God forbid an unsignedfree agent, undrafted free agent
, and lose out on a lot of money.
Like for them, like that's,that's their livelihood, that's
(20:43):
their career Absolutely, youknow so.
I as a fan.
It frustrates me to see playerssit out of ball games.
But, as you know, the sportsbroadcaster in me that you know,
seeing the job and wanting togo into that as that aspect of
it, I get it.
You have a chance to makemillions upon millions of
(21:06):
dollars playing the game thatyou love, that you've been
playing since you were eightyears old.
Yeah, I'm going to make sure Ican do everything I can to be in
the draft and relevant.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, I agree with that.
It's hard to say.
As time went on, I understoodthat decision.
As a fan, you want to see himplay.
But yeah, I agree, you got togo for it.
You can't risk injuries toomuch 100%.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I mean you can kind of understand.
I mean you've worked at thesame company again for around 35
years, which is incredible tothink anymore that somebody's
worked at a career that long.
You know, tell us about yourjob and your longevity at that
company.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
Yeah, I'm a visual dimensional inspector at CRT,
component Repair Technologies,and boy, it's been a heck of a
journey.
When I was in high school nodirection.
I went to community college.
I really had no vision of whatI wanted to do and I was working
(22:13):
for a landscape company.
My cousin worked at CRT and hetold me that they were hiring
and I was like all right, whynot?
And it was a shock to thesystem being in a factory.
You know, in those days it waslike a factory Uh.
But once the light went on andI figured things out, the rest
(22:35):
is history and it's been great.
Uh, I did other departmentsleading up to being a visual
dimensional inspector andprobably going on, 25 of those
33 years has been an inspectorand it's just a great position
because it's clean, overall,temperature controlled and you
(22:59):
just get the whole look of theparts that we work on.
We overhaul jet engine partsfor major airlines and it's just
a great experience.
Good people to work around andyou learn a lot.
Good people to work around andyou learn a lot.
(23:21):
And yeah, I, it's hard tobelieve.
Time does fly, as you know.
People say you it's blink of aneye, you can't believe where
you're at.
But yeah, overall theexperience has been great and
yeah, longevity is is not thenorm.
Now People are chasing, youknow, chasing whatever they can
get.
They'll leave a job for acouple bucks just to jump ship.
(23:42):
I've been loyal and it's beenworth it At my age.
Now I'm not going anywhere, butCRT has been good to me.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah, like I said, it's incredible to think
somebody's been at a place thatlong Because, like you know,
like I said, it's incredible tothink somebody's been, you know,
at a place that long Because,like you said, everyone they
kind of like jump ship, they'rechasing the buck, if you will.
Yeah, I know I got a good thinggoing here, but if I go here I
can make two more dollars anhour and you know that's
(24:19):
significant enough to them to tomove and start over and be at
the bottom of the totem poleagain somewhere else and try to.
You just don't see peoplewilling to work their way up
into a company.
Right now I get.
I've been doing comedy 13 years.
That's not a traditional nineto five, you know, like clocking
in at a place, this that is allon me.
I don't have a boss to answerto.
I don't have a record label, anagent, a manager, anything like
(24:43):
that to answer to.
It is just me.
So I I think that's a littledifferent in that you know, um,
I I've been with a company.
Now, um, again, I'm on thisshow.
I don't say their names, but itis a rental car company that
I've been with and looking backit's like, oh, my God, I've
almost been there a year and Ifeel like I just started and
(25:07):
it's like, oh, august makes ayear that I've been with a
company.
So when you say time flies, itabsolutely does, yes, you don't
realize how long you've been ata place until you actually sit
and think like, oh wow, I havebeen there this long, yeah, and
I don't think about it.
So like even you know,customers ask me oh, how long
(25:29):
have you been here?
And it's like, oh, I've beenhere almost a year now, yeah, to
think about it.
Almost a year now to thinkabout it.
But I think when you like a joband you like what you're doing
as that job, the time justdoesn't seem to matter.
Like you said, you don'trealize how long you've been at
(25:51):
a place if you enjoy what you'redoing.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Right Yep, that's so important.
If you enjoy what you're doing,right?
Yep, that's so important.
Yeah, yeah, you, you have to beable to get up every day and
and not dread going in.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
you, you, you have to have a good outlook on things
and yeah, yeah, and that'sprobably not too present these
days I really don't think it isum, and as hypocritical as this
is for me to say, being that youknow my other job being a
comedian and social media beingkind of king for that, I think I
(26:26):
blame social media for that.
With the rise of that and allthese quote unquote content
creators getting paid to makesocial media content, I think it
has infected a little bit ofthe younger generation.
Like, oh, I'll just do that,like it's that easy to just push
(26:48):
a button and all of a suddenyou're famous.
Yeah, if it were, I wouldn'thave a day job, I'd be doing
comedy full time If it was thateasy.
But 13 years later and I'mstill pushing that button,
trying to get it to work.
So it's still work.
(27:09):
I don't discount what thesepeople do to have to come up
with creative ideas day in andday out.
As a comedian, I get it.
I mean, I'm constantly, foreverlooking for new material and to
come up with that on a dailybasis.
It's tough.
You have to have a differentmindset and I don't got to be
(27:31):
able to do that.
And people look at me all thetime.
I'm like, where do you come upwith material?
And it's just like I.
I get that question a lot.
Uh, luckily I have a 16 yearold son who is hysterical and
some of the stuff that he does,uh, so that's a big help, uh,
being a father for sure, yeah,um, and it's just, you know,
(27:54):
some of the time it's like Ijust live my daily life and then
I get on stage and I report itand I hope to God.
It's funny some of the times,and for the most part it has
been for the past 13 years.
So I'm kind of a one trick ponyin that and I'm sticking with
that mentality and rolling withit until it doesn't work anymore
.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That is a long time.
That is a long time to be doingthat, because, yeah, you have
to be careful nowadays what yousay on stage.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
That's the biggest thing.
Now.
That's the hardest thing Is youknow you have to toe that line
and as a comedian you've got toknow when you've crossed it, but
a lot of times you don't, untilyou're getting that big laugh
and then you say one more thingand then the crowd goes silent.
(28:42):
Yeah, it's like, okay, there'sthe line, there it is, that's.
I hope I don't get canceled forthat part of it, but everything
else was funny up until then.
Uh, that's the.
That's the biggest fear forcomedians is the cancel culture
out there.
It's still happening.
There's still people that getupset over everything.
(29:05):
I don't understand it, because Igrew up in a very big, large
Italian family and it was ablue-coll of family too.
My great grandfather, mygrandfather and my father were
all steel mill workers, so Igrew up in that.
But also, if you weren't goingalong with the jokes that were
(29:30):
happening in the family, youwere the joke and you were going
to like either get a thickerskin and not be offended by it
and start to go along with it,have fun, or you were crying
like.
That was like essentially it,because we always crack jokes
with everybody.
I still crack jokes with myfather all the time.
Every time I call him and youknow I see him all the time now,
(29:53):
uh, he's, he shaved his head,uh, because he was losing his
hair.
Every time I see him I rub hishead and I say I need a little
bit of luck.
And I rub his head yeah, likethat's the kind of family I grew
up in.
We rag on each other and Ithink it's helped.
I guess my generation, if youwill have that thicker skin, but
I don't think we're gettingthat anywhere else.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
No, no.
And I mean geez, oh man, whywould you go to a comedy show if
you're not prepared to hearsomething a little bit off edge?
You know you, to make peoplelaugh you have to challenge a
little bit.
You got to go with what's goingon in the world and everyday
(30:39):
topics.
I mean you have to laugh alittle bit.
Jeez, everyone's so uptight butyeah.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
I think if people just laughed more, we would be a
much happier society.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
No doubt about it, jeez.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
And I love it.
I do when I'm at a show and Ido, I guess, quote unquote a
controversial joke that somebodygets offended at, and then they
want to scream up on stage likethey're going to ruin my act.
It's just like okay, Iunderstand.
You are 100% entitled to youropinion and your feelings.
(31:17):
Here's the thing.
I'm a comedian, I'm joking andyou just interrupted me at doing
my job.
I have a microphone.
You were all in proximity tothis speaker system and I'm
going to ruin your night now,like now, you've just made it my
personal goal because everyoneelse is laughing, but you,
(31:39):
you're ruining it for everybodyelse here.
Now I'm going to ruin yournight.
I'm going to push that buttonuntil you leave because you're
not going to enjoy the show.
That's me as a comedian.
Everyone else normally gets aneven bigger laugh at it, because
what people realize thesehecklers don't realize is when
(32:00):
they're heckling and everyoneelse is laughing, they're
ruining the show for everybodyelse.
So when the comedian starts tohone in on that person and pick
on them and heckle back at them,the crowd loves it, because now
we're finding out the problemand they love to hear somebody
(32:23):
that is trying to ruin it foreverybody else.
Get it ruined for just them.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Yeah, you're weeding out the trouble.
Get them out and enjoy the restof the show.
Do your thing.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
The nice thing is when you work these comedy clubs
, there is somebody that standsin the back of the show, do your
thing.
The nice thing is is when youwork these comedy clubs like
there is somebody that stands inthe back of the room who their
sole job I mean it is security,like they will give you a look
up on stage and you can just belike, yeah, okay, I've had
enough, get them out and they'llremove them.
It's nice to have that now,where I'm at still considered
(32:55):
being an up and coming comedian,I don't have that all the time,
so I just have to do what I doand just make it so unbearable
for them that they just leaveand everyone else enjoys it.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Yeah, good for you, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
It's funny because I got dubbed the angry white comic
13 years ago by a buddy of minewho was hosting open mic nights
, which is where I got my start,and I would just go on like
(33:43):
these long filled rants on stageabout my day and working in
customer service and the peoplethat I've dealt with and some of
the stupid questions that Iwould get asked on a daily basis
, and he dubbed me the angrywhite comic and, lo and behold,
13 years later, I'm still knownas the angry white comic.
So, yeah, you're going to ashow where the guy is known as
that and you think it's going toend well for you.
It's really not.
I promise you it's not going toruin your night.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah, if you buy a ticket, you should have some
awareness of who you're seeingand what their reputation is.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
100% yeah 100%, and I have this show here which is
why it's called Ride Home Rants,because I go on rants and it is
heard by over 16,000 people inover 60 countries Like if you
don't know by now who you'rebuying a ticket for, this is
(34:29):
your fault.
Absolutely Shame on you.
Yeah, this is 100% your fault.
I take no blame for this at alland I I hope I at that point, I
hope I ruined your night, right, I hope I did man, good for you
with the audience.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
You have a nice audience there, mike.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Thank you, man.
I appreciate it.
It's been five years of workingat this show here.
Now In December makes a fullfive years for us.
We are in the fifth season ofthe show, so it is.
It has been a work in progress,but I love every minute of this
and this podcast and everythinglike that.
I never thought I'd be thepodcast guy either, but, lo and
(35:10):
behold, covid taught me a lotabout what needs to happen, uh,
in the realm of comedy andeverything like that, and I
never thought.
I thought honestly, I'll giveit a try, I'll probably put out
like two episodes and that getbored with it and then just it
won't do what I think it's gonnado and I will just call it
(35:32):
quits and focus my energy onsomething else.
And no, I dive full-fledgedinto this and I love it.
That's awesome.
Good for you.
Thank you, man.
Appreciate that I didn'tmention too.
You know, being from a big, youknow, italian family, though
you, your family's from Scotlandand you actually recently had,
you know, a chance to visitthere a few times.
(35:53):
You know what what's Scotlandlike?
I've never really been out ofthe country, so I always love to
hear everybody's takes on whatit's like in other countries.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
It is incredible scenery and just going there.
I've been there twice and thelast time I went was last summer
with my kids Just incrediblewas last summer with my kids,
just incredible.
Just, I have so much family outthere because my parents came
over in 62 63.
They came over to the UnitedStates so they were one of the
few that came over, so justknowing that I have so much
(36:31):
family over there makes thattrip so much easier.
And but a lot to see.
The scenery is beautiful thehighlands, the, the bodies of
water, just incredible.
And yeah, we were out therelast year for over a week and
saw so much, saw, saw the.
(36:54):
And yeah, just amazing to thinkyou know what my parents
sacrificed to come over to theUnited States and I appreciate
that and I hope to go over thereseveral more times just to see
more.
There's so much to see outthere.
The history there is amazingand incredible trip.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
Yeah yeah, um, I like it.
It's been a bucket list for mywife and I.
She's full Irish, I'm fullItalian.
We want to visit Italy andIreland at some point in our
lives.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Got to do it, Mike.
I mean, yeah, that has been a.
Dublin.
You can go right in Dublin withAer Lingus.
Aer Lingus is right in the thedublin and, yeah, I'd recommend
it, mike yeah, 100.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
It is like I said.
It is on our our bucket list ofthings to do.
The only problem with that isright now is my wife is like she
always dives into to theculture.
Uh, for you know the irish andyou know italian now bearing an
italian seeing my family andthat she's afraid that if she
goes to ireland she's nevergoing to want to come back.
(38:15):
Uh, that's the problem with heronce she gets to the homeland,
she's never going to want tocome back.
And I get it.
It looks beautiful, I wouldlove to see it.
Um, and I kind of have the samefear about italy.
Like I'm going to get there andI'm just going to love it so
much that it's like I just livehere now.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
This is not going home.
Yeah, so affordable.
You hear about people buyingproperties out in Italy for so
little.
It's amazing.
I mean, yeah, yeah, so much tosee in Italy.
Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you willget there someday yeah, I hope
(38:54):
we do.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Um, for sure, it is one of, like, the top thing on,
like, if we don't do anythingelse on our bucket list, this is
the one thing that we are doing, um, no matter what we have to
do, so, uh, it will happen.
You know, I'm very big intospeaking things into existence,
uh.
(39:15):
So, yeah, I keep just saying,yeah, it's not if we go, it's
when we go, uh, so that's whereI'm at with that uh.
But yeah, I've always, alwayswanted to visit, uh, those
countries at all, and especiallybecause I know I still have
family over there, and lookingat my ancestry, knowing that I
am, you know, sicilian Visitingthere and knowing that I have
(39:37):
family there is, is a big thingfor me, and wanting to go and
essentially find them where theyactually live at in Sicily, I
think would just be a cooljourney.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Oh, and they'll show you everything.
I'm sure they will be soaccommodating you'll.
You'll love the experience, nodoubt about it.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
100 yeah, I can't, I can't wait to to to make it
happen there.
Um for sure, um, have you beenin like I mean, when you just
visited um scot, there weren'tlike any like concerts there,
because I've heard you've beento a couple of, you know,
concerts that had differentvenues.
You know, over the years, youknow, has there been any artists
(40:18):
that you've seen, eitherwhether it's in the States or
outside the country?
You know that, that you've beenat and you know want to, that
had a great experience at, orany special venues or anything
like that want to that had agreat experience at or any
special venues or anything likethat.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Well, you know, when I went to europe, I we went to
london, we went to scotland andwe went to france.
That was the first venture andthen the last time we went it
was just scotland and we went toliverpool, but uh, no big
events.
Uh, yeah, it was just strictly.
(40:54):
One time was with crt.
I did go to france at crt andthat was really awesome to to do
that because that was juststrictly france and we got to
see some sites and did the workthing as a good balance.
But yeah, no, no big events outthere, but just the history and
(41:18):
the scenery was just incredible.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yeah, for sure.
Um, definitely love that, andyou know that you get those
opportunities, especially eveneven though it's a work trip.
You know, I know they like OK,we're in France, like this is a
work trip, but people are goingto want to see some sites.
They're going to want to, youknow, venture around a little
bit.
We can't make it all about work, get the work done and then be
(41:45):
able to have fun.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
I think that's amazing the work done and then
be able to have fun.
I think that's amazing.
Yeah, for sure, rider cup.
I missed a rider cup was when Iwent to france at work.
The rider cup already, uh, wenton and of course, the united
states lost, as they usually doon forums, uh, but it was.
That was cool.
I actually we were so close tothe course, we actually did walk
(42:10):
around the course and I tooksome pictures of that because
that would have been a greatexperience to that yeah, you
know you.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
I hear you're a big golf guy.
Uh, too, as well.
Um, you know, is that one ofthe favorite courses that you
visited or even got to play at?
Or do you have a favoritecourse that that you visited or
played at?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Well, you know, being from Scotland, my family being
from Scotland, st Andrews wasthe birthplace of golf.
When we did go in July, we wentto St Andrews and took a
picture on the the bridge.
That was phenomenal.
I did see the Ry cup inkentucky.
(42:55):
That was on us oil and that wasoutstanding.
That was, uh, a victory forunited states.
So yeah, I do love golf.
The masters to me is, you know,through years I have just grown
an affection for the Masters.
I will take that over anysporting event.
(43:17):
I can watch the Masters fromstart to finish.
I love golf.
I mean, football now to me isnot that big of a deal, since
the Browns are so bad, you know,kind of transitioned in the
golf.
But yeah, I love the masters.
You know I used to play golf.
(43:37):
I don't do it as much as I usedto, but I follow it.
Yeah, the the masters isawesome and, uh, just
outstanding to see that inperson.
The Ryder Cup is so intense.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Oh yeah, the Masters is probably one of the only golf
tournaments that I will watchfrom start to finish and follow
from start to finish.
I'll catch the last couple daysof most of the tournaments just
to kind of see whereeverybody's at.
I like golf.
Wish I could get out and playmore.
(44:16):
Schedule doesn't quite allow me.
But big golf guy here too aswell.
Actually, two of the sponsorsof my show are golf related,
which I think is phenomenalEverybody.
So Shank it to Golf foreverybody.
The newer listeners out there,check them out for sure, because
(44:40):
they have a lot of great golfapparel.
They are golf apparel for theeveryday person.
You're not going to go out andshoot a six under par.
You're probably going to shoota six over par.
You're probably going to shoota six over par, but you're going
to look good while you're doingit.
I can tell you, I can promiseyou, that the fits are
phenomenal there.
One of my buddies has his owngolf line and golf glove line.
(45:06):
That he does too as well.
And Matt Lando Landowski andSweet Hand Sports.
Check both of them out.
You'll find all the links inthe description of this episode
too as well.
Promo codes will be there.
Save you some money too as well.
But yeah, I love everythingabout golf and I noticed, like
you said, as I'm getting olderI'm drawn more to golf.
(45:29):
I don't know if that's justlike a part of getting older as
a man you just get more and moredrawn to golf and just a
calming, relaxing sport andbeing able to something to
follow where it's not a lot ofhigh energy.
I don't want to say it's nothigh energy because it has its
moments, want to say I don'twant to say it's not high energy
(45:50):
because it has its moments, butit's not like football, where
there's action all the time andpeople are just getting taken
out where all the time it's.
It's a nice change of pace, Ithink for most people it yeah, I
, I enjoy golf just becauseyou're on your own.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
You have no support.
It is all up to you are hittinga ball that is not moving and
yeah, there's, it's not a teamgame, besides a Ryder cup,
obviously, but still, ultimatelyyou are on your own with that.
But yeah I, just golf.
To me is is just so special.
(46:26):
I used to enjoy it.
I hope to get back into it, butI follow it and it's.
It's definitely so relaxing ifyou take that approach.
There's so much to seebeautiful courses out there.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
A hundred percent.
I would love to get to morecourses than the ones I've I've
I've been to.
But yeah, like I said, golf isit's just.
It's like you said, it'srelaxing, but it is it's just
you out there, and I think,growing up as a competitive
swimmer too as well, that thatkind of.
I kind of relate to that alittle bit more, because it was
(47:06):
just me in the pool.
I know, obviously, relays, likeyou said, with the Ryder Cup,
relays were a team, but at theend of the day you're the one in
the water and there's no onethere to help you, right?
So I kind of think that thathelps me a lot with golf too as
well.
And I don't know if we haveenough time on the show to talk
(47:29):
about that in sports all daylong, because I just looked at
how long we've been talking here.
John, we are running down nearthe end of the episode here and
I have one more segment I got toget in before we get off of
here and for the new listenersout there, that is the Fast
Fitty Five.
It is five random questionsfrom the wonderful manager of
the podcast, johnny FittyFalcone.
(47:52):
John, I know you know Johnnypretty well.
I don't know if you've gottenpersonally to hear some of the
random questions that he comesup with on a daily basis, but
these are kind of rapid fire.
You can elaborate if you needto.
They have nothing to do withwhat we've been talking about
(48:12):
for the better part of an hournow.
So if you are ready, we'll goahead and do the Fast 55.
Let's do it, all righty.
Question number one is LasVegas overrated or underrated?
Speaker 2 (48:28):
or underrated.
Oh God, Vegas is awesome.
I love Vegas.
It's not overrated, underrated.
It's good shit, man.
Speaker 1 (48:36):
So you're saying it's perfect as is.
Yeah, perfect.
Question number two Shouldevery house have a shed, or is a
big garage good enough?
Speaker 2 (48:47):
I would lean towards a big garage.
Good enough, I would leantowards a bigger garage.
Speaker 1 (48:53):
Yeah, I'm a garage guy myself.
I wish I had one now.
I don't Garage.
You can't go wrong with a goodbig garage.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:03):
Question Any more structures than you need?
Speaker 1 (49:08):
100% Question number three is Tom Any more structures
than you need A hundred percent.
Question number three is TomHanks or Al Pacino a better
actor?
Speaker 2 (49:20):
Boy.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
That's a tough one.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Tom Hanks is pretty damn good.
But I thank God we have notgone political.
But Tom Hanks is a little loweron my list based on recent news
stories, but I would still go,tom Hanks.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
I get it.
The inner Paisan in me can't goagainst Pacino, but it's a very
close one for me, just strictlyon acting.
Oh God, that's a coin flip forme, honestly, with both of those
two.
Yeah, question number four ohLord, who's the Browns' best
(50:04):
quarterback of all time?
Speaker 2 (50:08):
Otto Graham No-brainer to me, yeah, that's.
I mean, come on now.
Never saw him all but OttoGraham.
Championships is all.
It's all about championships.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
A hundred percent.
And last question here arepropane or charcoal grills
better?
Speaker 2 (50:28):
Damn, I'm lazy so I'd go with propane, but I know a
burger tastes a hell of a lotbetter with charcoal.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
You're not wrong, I've had both.
I've gotten lazy.
I have a propane grill now.
Propane's quick, it's easierthan charcoal.
But you're right, nothingtastes better than when you get
that charcoal flavor to it.
I'd have to go charcoal, butthe laziness in me honestly is
(50:56):
propane for that one.
But that was the Fast 55.
Like I said, he was a littlebit more mild of questions than
what we normally get from Johnny.
On that he comes up with somereal zingers and they none of
them make sense.
I've been getting this sinceI've known him since college and
(51:20):
I've been getting thesequestions literally since
college and normally it's he has.
Like he comes up with theseweird scenario type questions
Like all right, you're lockedinto racquetball court, it's you
Batman, a gorilla and ConorMcGregor.
You have a racquetball set ofroad flares and a boxing glove
(51:42):
who comes out alive.
Like those are the types ofthings that run through this
man's head and he would ask methem all the time, like he would
just text me these randomquestions.
And one day I was just like,hey, man, what if we just made a
segment on the show whereliterally we'll call it the fast
(52:05):
55, we'll make it rapid fire,but it's literally your
questions, that you ask on adaily basis and and we'll ask
the guest these questions.
He was like oh my God, I lovethat idea.
And lo and behold, we've beendoing it for four years now.
He keeps coming up with newquestions every single week, and
I love it.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
Well, I can thank Johnny.
That was not too difficult, butstill made me think a little
bit so good.
Speaker 1 (52:34):
We like to give a little bit of brain teasers near
the end of the show and have afun way to end the show.
But, john, like I said, we arerunning down near the end of the
episode and I do give everyguest this opportunity at the
end of the show.
Opportunity at the end of theshow If there's anything you
want to get out there, ifthere's anything you want to
promote, whether it's your workor even if it's just a good
message to get out there.
I'm going to give you about aminute and the floor is yours.
Speaker 2 (52:58):
Wow, mike, I was not prepared for that.
I really had a great time onthe show.
I didn't know what to expect.
I mean, I had somewhat of anidea what to expect, but it's
been a great experience.
You asked great questions, youknow.
You know you got to approachlife and in a good way, a
(53:35):
positive way.
Take things as they happen andlearn from it, grow from it.
And I think I'm rambling on, Idon't know if you want to edit
this part, but I mean, I mean,I've had a great time talking
with you, it's been a greatexperience and, uh, you made it
real easy for me.
(53:55):
So I appreciate that, mike, anduh, you know, I hope all your
guests feel the same way not aproblem, man, we appreciate
having you on.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
Uh, we definitely was .
It was great to talk to you, uh, for sure, and get the
basically shoot the shit withyou for about an hour here.
It's pretty easy when you'vegot two sports fans and you can
kind of dive into that world andmake it easy for sure.
I love getting to talk to newpeople and getting to meet them
and see what they have.
(54:24):
I do like the message that yougave there at the end of the day
, because at the end of the dayyou know positivity and you know
just attacking life in apositive way can only make
things better.
And failure it does not meanyou lost, it just means you
learned something is what I takefrom the message.
And you learn every day and ifyou learn something new, then
(54:49):
good for you.
You made, you made the daygreat because you learned
something new, and that's theway I think and I wish a lot of
people had that mentality andI'm glad you mentioned it too,
especially at the end of theshow.
I'm all about helping peoplepromote things, but when they
have a good message to end theshow, I love that even more.
When they have a good messageto end the show.
I love that even more, but thatis actually going to do it here
(55:12):
for this week's episode of theRide Home Rants podcast.
Again, I want to thank my guest, john Middleton, for joining
the show.
Again, a lot of fun to get totalk to you and get to learn a
little bit more about you and,as always, if you enjoyed the
show, be a friend, tell a friend.
If you didn't tell them anyways, they might like it just
because you didn't.
That's going to do it for meand I will see y'all next week.
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