Here's a vintage ad for Bat Day at a Blue Jays game. I'm not sure what year this ad is from, but there's no area code in the telephone numbers for Go or the TTC, so this is from the 2000 season or earlier.

Also, the Angels are listed as the California Angel, and they haven't been known as the California Angels since 1996. That's how I remember the Angels. They were the California Angels, the team where I first saw Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew play. In 1997 they became the Anaheim Angels and in 2005 the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and in 2016 the Los Angeles Angels, their fifth moniker.

The bat being given away here to the first 20,000 and all children under 14 is sponsored by Chef Boyardee, so it's not the free bat from my youth. I have fond memories of receiving a free bat at old Exhibition Stadium, only that bat was sponsored by Catelli. I guess at some point Catelli tapped out and Chef Boyardee filled the void.

The picture above is not my bat, but that's the bat I remember with great fondness. It was perfect for playing baseball in the backyard.

In this 1932nd episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Shaun Verreault and Safwan Javed from Wide Mouth Mason about the origin of the band in Saskatoon, the role of Gordie Johnson from Big Sugar and Big Shiny Tunes, and their sound that moves fluidly between alternative rock, earthy blues, and brilliant jam band excursions. This episode is exactly 1:14:09.

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Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

In this 1931st episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Nick Ainis from Fusioncorp about the 2026 Toronto mayoral election, the World Cup, AI, One Yonge, martial arts and more. This episode is exactly 1:01:22.

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Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

Welcome to this week's Open Mike. I'm Mike and I'll be your master of ceremonies for the day.

Feel free to use this space to vent, rant,  share a story and/or ask a question of the FOTM hivemind.

In this 1930th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Juno winner Suzie McNeil about her experience on Rockstar: INXS, her pop career that followed, and her pivot to soul. This episode is exactly 1:30:00.

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Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

Bonnie Tyler was the husky voiced singer best known for the #1 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", a Jim Steinman joint originally intended for Meat Loaf, and "It's a Heartache" and "Holding Out for a Hero".

I produce a WPBL Podcast hosted by professional baseball player Ashton Lansdell and we just wrapped a recording following a press conference to announce the nicknames for the WPBL teams this inaugural season.

This season, which gets underway in Springfield, Illinois on August 1, will feature these teams:

• Boston Hunters
• New York Heights
• San Francisco Firebells
• Los Angeles Queens

The Hunters are inspired by Harriot Hunt, a trailblazing physician who was one of the first women to practice medicine professionally in the USA, despite being denied admission to Harvard twice because of her gender.

The Heights are inspired by Dorothy Height, one of the most influential leaders of the civil and women’s rights movements.

The Firebells are inspired by Lillie “Firebelle Lil” Hitchcock Coit, who famously leapt into action to help San Francisco volunteer firefighters battle a blaze on Telegraph Hill.

The LA Queens are inspired by Lizzy Murphy, known as “The Queen of Baseball”. The presence of the LA Kings NHL team didn't hurt matters.

On this 1929th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with radio veteran Jim Lang about the six radio stations shuttered by Rogers this week and the future of AM radio in Canada. This episode is exactly 34:58.

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Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

This morning it was announced that Rogers was shutting down six AM radio stations across the country, letting 230 people go in the process. Rogers is returning those six AM radio licenses to the CRTC.

The AM radio stations shuttered by Rogers are:

• Sportsnet 960 in Calgary
• 660 NewsRadio in Calgary
• 1130 NewsRadio in Vancouver
• Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver
• 570 NewsRadio in Kitchener
• NewsRadio 95.7 in Halifax

I've often said on Toronto Mike'd that Rogers really own cares about 3 radio stations, all in Toronto.

• CHFI
• Kiss 92.5
• 680 NewsRadio

BroadcastDialogue got a statement from a Rogers Sports & Media spokesperson.

The media business continues to face headwinds driven by declining advertising revenue and changing audience habits. These changes are part of our plan to focus our investment in areas that will drive growth long-term.

After a thorough review of our radio stations, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close six radio stations in four markets due to declining audience and revenue trends — we continue to own and operate 44 radio stations in nearly 30 communities across the country and to invest in local news in the impacted markets.

Listeners of Toronto Mike'd might recognize Sportsnet 960 as the station Mike Richards aired his show on, and 570 NewsRadio as the station Larry Fedoruk would fill-in on.

In this 1928th episode of Toronto Mike'd and 10th FOTMCast, Mike chats with Cam Gordon and Tyler Campbell about everything that's happened in the TMU (Toronto Mike'd Universe) over the past quarter. This episode is for realheads only! This episode is exactly 3:21:44.

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Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.

Renata Ford was the wife of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford.

I just returned from my second kayak of the Humber River this summer. It was amazing, but I did notice some missing wildlife.

There were plenty of ducks, swans and turtles, but where were the big beautiful birds I'd see last summer? I'm no birder, but I'm certain one type was a heron. But there were more.

I'll keep my eye on things and keep you posted.

I wrote about the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area bike trail last month when I rode it for the first time. I find myself returning to this new trail day after day because I've fallen in love with it.

It's quiet and serene and beautiful, and it's right there off of Marie Curtis Park. When I posted about it on Instagram last month, someone asked if it's a loop or if you reach the end of the line and then need to turn around. Right now, there's a dead end and you simply turn around, but when the new development is complete, you'll be able to ride it straight through.

Well done Misssissauga. I can't wait.

When Ed Keenan visited the other day, he mentioned that The Toronto Star listed "25 greatest Toronto songs" recently. Here's their list.

25. ‘YYZ’- Rush, 1981
24. ‘BaKardi Slang’ - Kardinal Offishall, 2001
23. ‘The Old Apartment’ - Barenaked Ladies, 1996
22. ‘Toronto Tontos’ - Max Webster, 1976
21. ‘Parkdale’ - Metric, 2001
20. ‘416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem)’ - Maestro Fresh Wes, featuring Latoya & Miranda, 1998
19. ‘Raised on Robbery’ - Joni Mitchell, 1974
18. ‘Kitchen’ - Charlotte Cornfield, 2026
17. ‘King City’ - Majid Jordan, 2016
16. ‘House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls’ - The Weeknd, 2011
15. ‘On Yonge Street’ - Gordon Lightfoot, 1998
14. ‘Queen St. W’ - Jessie Reyez, 2022
13. ‘Mississauga Goddam’ - The Hidden Cameras, 2004
12. ‘Somethin’ 4 Da Streets’ - Saukrates, 2003
11. ‘DVP’ - PUP, 2016
10. ‘Ambulance Blues’ - Neil Young, 1974
9. ‘IVIVI’ - Lilly Singh and Humble the Poet, 2016
8. ‘Toronto 2014’ - Daniel Caesar and Mustafa, 2023
7. ‘Skyline’ - Cadence Weapon, 2021
6. ‘Echo Beach’ - Martha and the Muffins, 1980
5. ‘Know Yourself’ - Drake, 2015
4. ‘Western Skies’ - Blue Rodeo, 1992
3. ‘Let’s Go’ - The Beaches, 2021
2. ‘Stay Alive’ - Mustafa, 2021
1. ‘Crabbuckit’ - k-os, 2005

Ed joked with me that The Shuffle Demons' Spadina Bus and Pukka Orchestra's Cherry Beach Express were missing, but added the caveat that he's a middle aged white guy. I am also a middle aged white guy, and I'd have had both songs on my list, although it's entirely possible the Star was seeking positive songs about Toronto and that great Pukka Orchestra song is a about homophobic TPS brutality.

20 years ago, I wrote about my favourite songs that reference a Canadian place, and just last year I recorded an episode of Toronto Mike'd about songs that mention Toronto, but I don't think I've ever written about my favourite Toronto songs.

On Canada Day in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael Barclay visited to kick out 10 Toronto jams. I highly recommend that episode, the only one ever recorded with a guest who brought their own microphone.

I was taken aback by how many of The Toronto Star's top 25 I didn't know, so I have some catching up to do. And that fabulous k-os song at #1 never once struck me as a Toronto jam. But at least Ambulance Blues and Echo Beach made the list.

Poor Shuffle Demons...

In this 1927th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike remembers Tommy Hunter, who has passed away at the age of 89. This episode is exactly 49:26.

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Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Electronic Products Recycling Association, Palma Pasta, Nick Ainis and Ridley Funeral Home.