ML Soul of Detroit

A deep dive with legendary Fox 2 investigative reporter  Rob Wolchek as he prepares for his upcoming retirement in March 2026. The team discusses the origins of the "Hall of Shame," the work that goes into a "Wolchek ambush," and his perspective on nearly three decades of reporting in Detroit. STRAIGHT DOPE: The Origin of the "Hall of Shame" The Tagline : Rob reveals that the "Hall of Shame" brand...

ESPN scoop-machine Dan Wetzel reveals how he spent his Christmas vacation breaking big stories about the Michigan Wolverines.   STRAIGHT DOPE:  ML and Marc are back in the studio with one of their favorite guests -- but before Dan Wetzel shares how he spent his holidays writing about outgoing Michigan Wolverine football coach Sherrone Moore and his replacement Kyle Whittingham, ML goes ham on Grea...

Happy New Year! This week we are revisiting two more of our Patreon BONUS episodes. Two legendary Detroit sportscasters, Bernie Smilovitz and John Keating,  share some unforgettable stories. STRAIGHT DOPE:  Bernie Smilovitz’s Career and Personal Reflections. The New York "Anchors Away" media firings : Bernie recounts his brief, tumultuous time at WCBS in New York, where he was abruptly fired along...

Merry Christmas! This week we are revisiting two of our Patreon BONUS episodes.  We go deep into Detroit mob history with mafia expert Scott Burnstein. AND Neil Rubin shares some of his most memerable newspaper stories. STRAIGHT DOPE : First up- Mafia historian  Scott Burnstein tells us about the evolution and current status of organized crime in Detroit. The Harvard of the Mafia: The Detroit mob,...

Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield’s dad the Rev. Horace Sheffield III talks about what it’s like to be father of the first female mayor in Detroit’s 324-year history, and answers some burning questions — before asking plenty of his own.  STRAIGHT DOPE: ML and the Rev. Horace Sheffield III go w-a-a-a-y back. It’s a relationship with plenty of ups and downs. After ML went on Horace’s radio show during the...

A secret marriage in Detroit and a secretive engagement party in Lansing start this week’s show, before ML and Marc fight with the Irish over their controversial decision to take their football and stay home. STRAIGHT DOPE: What turned out to be the worst-kept secret in Detroit was confirmed Sunday, when the Detroit Free Press reported that Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield got married to Rickey Jackson...

Jocks, celebrities and local media luminaries assemble THIS FRIDAY, Dec. 5 to help raise money for the Tom Kowalski Foundation at the annual Killer’s Christmas event at The Lodge in Keego Harbor. Matt Riley, the man who brings everyone together year after year to support this great cause, tells ML, Marc and Shawn what’s new and who's who. STRAIGHT DOPE: Tom “Killer” Kowalski was an old-time, hard-...

No soup for Erika Erickson, whose big scoop about a whistleblower at Campbell’s is making national news … and ML, Marc and Shawn reconsider the green bean casserole at Thanksgiving. STRAIGHT DOPE: Our new gear is here – but it won’t be for long! The store closes DEC. 1st at 8 pm. Support the show while looking swell – you could even buy Shawn’s green jacket!  Erika breaks a big story about a Campb...

Dan Wetzel of ESPN explains how U-M blew up a plan to bring $2.4 billion into the Big Ten while ML bemoans the state of college sports … again. STRAIGHT DOPE: The new gear is here! Support the show while looking swell – you could even buy Shawn’s green jacket! ML leaves the crew in limbo while gacking on his drive to the studio, an unpleasant experience involving a reflux condition that Shawn thin...

Instead of discussing the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, we wreck an hour of your day by discussing two different bacons and some personal grooming stories Shawn inflicted on us. STRAIGHT DOPE : ML wanted to talk to the author of a new Edmund Fitzgerald book on the 50thanniversary of the famous Great Lakes disaster, but Shawn says it’s time to move on -- raising questions about whether he’ll cele...

Charlie LeDuff digs digging into dirty deals and dug up a doozy last week involving a demolition contractor and a candidate for mayor. He joins ML, Marc and Shawn to spill. STRAIGHT DOPE: With less than a week to go in the Detroit mayoral race, LeDuff broke a story reporters had been chasing for more than a year: City Council President Mary Sheffield was in a relationship with a city contractor an...

Shawn is back talking about a 9th grade rager while ML and Marc are grateful Erika’s ears aren’t exposed to this outrage! STRAIGHT DOPE:  ML watched his Spartans get beat last Saturday, but that was only slightly more painful than getting hit in the head with a wrench on the way to the game. Marc totally disagrees with ML’s assessment of The Big Game. Where does Shawn land on this weighty question...

Erika is all fired up for Halloween, bringing a touch of evil to Red Shovel Network headquarters where the conversation quickly turns to serial killers. STRAIGHT DOPE: Marc’s intro features a cameo by Shawn and an unintentional Easter egg that is ML’s favorite part of the entire production. Can you spot it? In a surprise move – or is it? – Marc and ML both spent their Monday night watching footbal...

The Office’s Todd Packer, David Koechner, talks about doing trivia at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle on 10/26, his time on Saturday Night Live and comedy in Saudi Arabia. STRAIGHT DOPE:  You know him from his star turns in “The Office,” “Talladega Nights,” “Extract,” and even “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which is why we call David Koechner the guy who steals every scene he’s in. He does it again on the Re...

ML returns from Munich, so Shawn decides to talk up his trip to Des Moines, while Marc waits for Calgon to take him away. STRAIGHT DOPE: ML starts with some breaking fake news – the podcast has a new sponsor, German shampoo Schauma – “kraftigendes shampoo mit hoppen!” While ML was soaking up history and suds in Berlin, Prague and Munich, Shawn was visiting every city in Iowa and Ohio. So instead o...

ML checks in from Oktoberfest, as Dan Wetzel joins Marc in the studio to talk about the weird things in sports. PLUS: Fat Bear Week. STRAIGHT DOPE : The show is spread across the globe. ESPN's Dan Wetzel joins Marc to do the heavy lifting this week. The first order of business is to check in live with ML as he is in Munich, Germany for the Oktoberfest celebration. He immediately gets in trouble wi...

Erika Erickson is back. We find out who is annoying us this week AND what public official ML Elrick annoyed. STRAIGHT DOPE:  The first thing that Erika wants to know is who is annoying us this week.   ML Elrick quickly remembers the annoying time he dressed as the Teletubby Po for Halloween. ML then provides the oddest mispronunciation of a celebrity that Marc and Erika have ever heard. The docume...

John Keating zooms in from retirement to tell ML, Marc, Shawn – and ML’s daughter Sophie – terrific tales of covering Detroit sports for a quarter century. STRAIGHT DOPE: Legendary sports anchorman John Keating takes a break from trying to break into podcasting to muse over whether he cast a Keating Curse on the Detroit Tigers, who are finally competitive now that he’s spending his days taking sun...

Tom Selleck’s mustache and Hawaiian shirt combo do charity work in Hazel Park, and our special guest tells Erika, Marc and ML how you can get involved. STRAIGHT DOPE: Soulmates, your wait is over! Erika, Marc and I offer our sage advice on thorny topics in our NEW bonus episode, which will drop any day. This is exclusive for our Patreon subscribers (though you can buy individual episodes). To join...

The truth – and Shawn – is out there somewhere. ML and Marc search for it, while Erika is away at WDIV. STRAIGHT DOPE: Marc manages to cobble together this week’s episode while the Red Shovel Network studios are under renovation. Members of our Patreon supporters group the Soulmates can get a sneak peek at the new digs. ML is tanned and not exactly rested after a long weekend in East Lansing to te...

ML is STILL recovering from high school, so why is he going to his 40thclass reunion this weekend? Marc and special guest Tresa Baldas share some of their most vivid memories from their school daze. STRAIGHT DOPE: You might think with his affection for New Wave music, and his 1985 Buick Riviera, that high school was the best days of ML’s life. Not so. Nevertheless, he is looking forward to attendi...

ESPN’s Dan Wetzel opines on the NCAA and Michigan Wolverines, while Marc defends the Big House and ML and Shawn finally agree on something. STRAIGHT DOPE: ML says, with a straight face, that he does not want to talk about penalties the NCAA levied on the Michigan Wolverines. Then he says he’s only doing it because YOU want it. So it’s all your fault? Sheesh! This guy should be a college football c...

Erika, Marc and ML put the “fun” in funeral, as the show gets off to an oddly macabre start, before Shawn makes the scene and livens things up. Really! STRAIGHT DOPE:  ML wonders whether Marc should have put a disclaimer on the show before the intro, which is most definitely not “Arthur appropriate.” Then he wonders if Shawn hired actors to create the perception that he is a fan favorite. ML is wo...

Marc and Shawn wait for ML to return from Fox 2, where he dropped in to opine on the Detroit mayor’s race – and proves that you CAN go home again! STRAIGHT DOPE: Last month, ML told the story of why he left Fox 2 back in 2019. Today, he was back at the station, offering commentary on the Detroit mayor’s race. Marc asks him what it was like to "go home." If you missed his hit on the news, you can r...

Join us FRIDAY at the Cadieux Café for Soul Night! Two bands, lots of great VIP experiences and free swag for Soulmates are on tap, along with Max Prokop and TWO of his bands. ML, Shawn, Erika and Marc will be there to mix and mingle. STRAIGHT DOPE: This week’s outstanding intro sets up a discussion of what’s on tap for Soul Night at the Cadieux Café on Friday night. Soulmates – members of our Pat...