LLWS Baseball & Music In West Tampa w/ Mike Baluja

• Mark welcomes guest Mike Baluja, who Mark calls, Mr. West Tampa”
• Baluja businessman, songwriter, and baseball historian.
• Conversation centers on the Little League World Series and the rich baseball history of West Tampa.
• The Alessi Bakers baseball team & Joe Magadan
• The rise and changes of West Tampa Little League since the 1960s.
• Community roots in immigrant cigar families and neighborhood culture.
• Legendary players from the area, including Lou Piniella, Tony La Russa, Tino Martinez, Luis Gonzalez, David Mgadan, and more.
• Ricky Alfonso (“The Cat”) won 3 championships at Tampa Catholic High School - rained out in 1 championshiop
• How adversity in baseball has made Mike find new ways to work effectively
• Discussion on community bonds through baseball – from families in the stands to generational connections.
• Mike shares stories about his grandson Julian’s baseball journey, including playing in Batavia and transitioning into coaching.
• Conversation shifts to Mike’s songwriting career, his reflections on Tampa, and how he weaves faith and community into his music.
• Closing thoughts on how baseball, family, and faith intertwine to shape lasting memories and future opportunities.

Mike Baluja's music can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDd6iuGXDYGuVntiu-joe6g

You can find Mat at @matgermain.bsky.social or reach Mark at  baseballbizondeck@gmail.com BaseballBiz on Deck, at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at www.baseballbizOnDeck.com 

Transcript

311 Mike Baluja BaseballBiz

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to Baseball Biz on Deck. I am Mark Corbett, and with me today, I have the great good fortune to have Mr. Mike Baluja with me, and you're saying, okay, Mark, are you doing things a little bit differently today? And I would say yes, because we are looking at the Little League World Series coming up and living here in Tampa.

[00:00:21] There's quite a bit of history of players that come from here. And Mike Baluja is, he is Mr. West Tampa as far as I'm concerned. And he's gonna be able to, uh, share a little bit about the, the past as far as little leagues that have come up and evolved from there, as well as just some general conversation.

[00:00:37] Couple other last things I'll say about Mike, and he's a businessman from this area. He is a songwriter and as far as I'm concerned, you're baseball historian too. How you doing, Mike?

[00:00:47] Mike Baluja: Good. How you doing, mark?

[00:00:49] Pretty good. Pretty good. Great to be here.

[00:00:52] Mark Corbett: Well, it's great to have you here, my friend and I tell you what brother like it is.

[00:00:56] This is the time of year where I get real excited about [00:01:00] what's happening with, with the little leagues, and I'm watching a lot of it on television, but, uh, the thing of it is long before those kids get to Williamsport. There's a lot of things that happen and a lot of that starts with community. I know West Tampa has been very big with baseball.

[00:01:16] I mean, you grew up with it. What was it like in West Tampa in the early days?

[00:01:20] Mike Baluja: Well, I, I was there in the beginning. , it was, early sixties and,, you, you had a guy named Tony Ciccorello on the show a few weeks ago, or a few months ago. Uh, and, and he said it best. So a lot of families involved, a lot of participation.

[00:01:34] , That's what makes a little league strong. Uh, these days it's watered down a bit. Uh, some of the leagues, you know, but the more competitive ones are those that, uh, that do have that participation. Uh, they have the benefit of having, uh, uh, large, uh, large memberships, large, large, uh, uh, a lot of teams, uh, things like that.

[00:01:56] whereas, , west Tampa. Dwindled down a little bit. It, it's got [00:02:00] its peaks and valleys. Uh, we do good in some areas, uh, for a couple of years, and then we'll fall down and, you know, a lot of things have contributed to that. Uh, just a movement of of, of people from this area out, , to different, uh, other areas in Tampa.

[00:02:14] And, , those are part of the reasons that, west Tampa , has, has had its, , struggles over the past couple of decades.

[00:02:22] Mark Corbett: And, and we're talking primarily I guess about baseball, uh, when you're just talking about the struggles.

[00:02:28] Mike Baluja: Yeah. Yeah. De definitely about Little League and, and baseball and the park itself.

[00:02:32] Uh, west Tampa Little League, yes.

[00:02:34] Mark Corbett: Now I know you can't, none of us can get away from change and a lot of times where we grew up, it's like if I hadn't been in Louisville in a while and I'd go back and drive in my old neighborhood or thereabouts, it's like, oh, that favorite corner store is no longer. There are things that seem.

[00:02:48] Part of the elements of of the neighborhood that I grew up with , have changed. And sometimes you feel like, well, okay, that had to happen. And other times it's like, my gosh, we're missing so much because of that. [00:03:00] And I, I get a little concerned about that 'cause I think about community baseball, uh, and certainly little leagues and, and that makes a difference.

[00:03:07] , Looking though from, from your perspective. You saw little leagues evolve around there, but you also, the inter social leagues, were still doing quite a bit in the West Tampa area where they're not.

[00:03:18] 

[00:03:18] Mike Baluja: yeah, no, no doubt about that. I'm not absolutely, uh, sure of how much, , the differences in that, on that level, but, as, as I said, , the little league was, , flourishing at the time, , that we were growing up.

[00:03:30] I mean, it was, it was at its peak. You, you, you had, uh, feasibly, , three all-star teams in every division, , and if you had, uh, the good fortune of being in the elite team, uh, you know, you got to go somewhere. , But, it was, , a good time in our history. And you're right about the changes though.

[00:03:47] , I, I bring those changes to light in a lot of the songs that I do. A lot of the writings that I do, uh, it involves, the angst of, , of yearning for, , a time that was, , and I've seen a lot of things, uh, uh, [00:04:00] change around Tampa over the years, around West Tampa, around Tampa in general.

[00:04:03] Yeah. Uh, it's, it's, it's got a whole different face on it than it did, uh, 10, 20, 30 years ago. You know, so,

[00:04:10] Mark Corbett: well, and, and you think about. You know, the, the folks that made West Tampa, what it was, the beginning. You look at all those great players in the little league. And a lot of that was because when West Tampa, a lot of that came from immigrants who came for jobs with cigar factories.

[00:04:28] Mike Baluja: I mean, this city is, uh, this city was founded on, on that industry. And that industry spread from, uh, Ybor City to, uh, west Tampa. And yes, uh, definitely, . We have a lot of, cigar, , families, , in this area we've. Factories in the West Tampa area until recently, uh, , that still exist, so yeah, they, they were a big part of, uh, the families, that business of course, and the markets, uh, food markets, fruit markets, , it wasn't just cigars, but, uh, that was [00:05:00] definitely the predominant business of its time.

[00:05:02] Mark Corbett: Well, it's, it's amazing to me when I look at this, Mike. I see the type of talent that emerged from West Tampa when it comes to baseball, and I know I was really glad that we, you know, we were able to speak with Tony Ciccorello about the little leagues a while back, but when kids step out onto that field, I wonder if they realize looking even all the way to the top of Major League baseball who's come out from that West Tampa area.

[00:05:30] To be at the top of the game, , if they could see if you will, the pantheon of, of baseball stars that have come from, , west Tampa. Could, could you rattle a few of those names off for me or gimme a few of those please?

[00:05:41] I

[00:05:42] Mike Baluja: will from, from my time, , specifically, , I was on a team called the Alessi Bakers, , and, , I was coached by a gentleman by the name of Charlie Rotolo.

[00:05:51] Who, , was a dear friend of mine throughout life. , And, his coach was, uh, Joe Magadan. Uh, Joe had a son named, uh, Joe that I [00:06:00] played with, and a son that was a bat boy, and his name was David. And David. Uh, he, he did his stint in the major leagues. He was a great major league player, great hitter. Uh, what an eye he had.

[00:06:10] He was patient at the plate. Um, and Class Act. Also. He wasn't just a baseball, good baseball player, good person, good came from a good family. Uh, that, that was the one that, that I'm closest to. I think of all the ball players from that time. Uh, there, there were others, of course, from the West Tampa area that came after my tenure there.

[00:06:31] Uh, Luis Gonzalez, um, Tino, Martinez, of course. , Historic players, both of them, , from the West Tampa area. . Lou Pinella, of course, he's one of the older statesmen. Uh, and, uh, and Tony La Russa, , and, and lemme say there's, there's one kid that he, he played a little bit in West Tampa.

[00:06:50] Not much, but he made it there. Uh, Mychal Givens, uh, he was a, a good player. He played with a b Baltimore Orioles, a few other teams. I think he just retired a few years [00:07:00] ago. . And, those come to, those are the ones that come immediately to mind. Uh, but, uh, if you gimme a chance, I'll think of No, I know.

[00:07:09] Mark Corbett: I mean, that, that's just pretty indicative of, of what you, you look at top TA talent and you think of David Magadan, um, geez, my knees, man. The, the talent and the, the number of years he's had in the business and even what it's in coaching, it's. It's just, uh, spectacular to see that. And then when you have somebody, if there's a young, uh, girl, young man who's growing up in the game of baseball and letting them know, say, Hey, right out on this field or right in your neighborhood, this is where some top talent came from.

[00:07:40] This is a possibility in a future for you as well. I, I think.

[00:07:45] Mike Baluja: Let me interject real quick. Uh, because for every David Magadan okay, I'm gonna tell you right now, there was probably 10 players as good or better than David. Oh my gosh. That didn't make it okay. Yeah. And, and I, you know, I know a few of them. [00:08:00] We, we had a, a good dear friend of mine, , that was my, across the street neighbor.

[00:08:04] He was a legend of West Hampton. His name was Ricky Alfonso. They used to call him the cat. Uh, I, I, I wanna say he still holds a home run record over there. He was a man, child, brother. Okay. He was, uh, a guy that, uh, you know, uh, he, he would a, a great catcher. Great. He could pitch, he could do anything. Okay.

[00:08:22] But he was the catcher by trade. And this guy was just, uh, you, you ask who the best ball player come outta West Tampa was. A lot of people will come up with that name. Okay? He went on to, uh. Live in Kentucky, go to, uh, a school in Kentucky, uh, college in Kentucky. And, uh, he became a hall of Famer in that college.

[00:08:41] I, I don't think he ever spent a whole lot of time in the big leagues or made it to the big leagues. I'm not sure what happened. Uh, we kind of separated during that time in our lives, but we reunited over the years and we become close again. Uh, and uh, as I said, there were a few guys like that. Okay. That, that, that [00:09:00] David was good.

[00:09:01] But you never know who's gonna emerge from that pool of talent , and sustain everything and maintain and, and continue , and get that shot. Okay.

[00:09:12] Mark Corbett: Well, it, it is good that you mentioned that. 'cause quite often I think of the number of, uh, folks who, who have come up in the minor league and maybe, or maybe didn't get a chance to get a cup of coffee in the majors.

[00:09:25] Um, who was it? It was Charlie Cuellar I was looking at, at some of his history. I mean, he did come up into the majors, but you look at how many years that he spent in the minor leagues or or other leagues. In the game, and it was a, he was a top talent. But yeah, unless you're paying attention, maybe, maybe you won't know about him.

[00:09:43] So I, I'm really glad you shared that story about Ricky.

[00:09:48] Mike Baluja: He, he actually, one of the big stories with Ricky is his, uh, his tenure in, in the high school days. Okay. At the time when I was coming up, I was at Jesuit. Jesuit was not a force back then. Okay. [00:10:00] Not like they are today. At the time, Tampa Catholic was the force to be reckoned with.

[00:10:04] , And, and Ricky was, , the one player, and I think I told you about this in our meeting over here. He was the one player that nearly won a state championship. Four years he was in, in high school. Okay. And the one year that he didn't win it, because he was a starting catcher the first year as a, as a, as a freshman on that team, which was unheard of.

[00:10:25] Okay. He was a starting catcher, catching against a guy named, uh, or for a guy named Manuel Modesto Seoane who was like, I wanna say he was 20 and O that year with a point something ERA. He was, oh my gosh. A phenomenal pitcher. Okay. And Ricky was catching him. Went on to win three championships, uh, at Tampa Catholic.

[00:10:43] The one year he didn't win. They got rained out and there was almost a riot when they called. That game didn't go easy with.

[00:10:54] Mark Corbett: Well, you know, you enjoy the game. You hate for something like rain to interrupt a good game. Yeah. [00:11:00] No, no, no, no. Especially when you're looking to, uh, make history. You know what I'm saying?

[00:11:03] Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Well, that's that's fantastic. I, I, and I wanna remind folks too, you, you're a songwriter and I love listening to your stuff. I was checking some more on YouTube the other day, and Mike, your music incorporates. A lot of, I think, your life in, in West Tampa. I know, I think one, you've done a, uh, did the theme song or they use it as the theme song for the Tampa native show, if I'm correct.

[00:11:30] But, you know, there's other pieces and it, it seems like, you know, you're capturing West Tampa, uh, in your life in more than just enjoying the game of baseball.

[00:11:40] Mike Baluja: Well, you know, listen, I found out early, and this I talked to you about also in person, uh, uh, you know, I, I, I didn't go far in baseball.

[00:11:48] Okay? Yeah. Uh, and, and , , that adversity, , took me in a different direction. And if it was reflecting, , in writing, , that's, that's where I landed. And, and I'm happy to be here. I'm happy to be [00:12:00] sharing, uh, my memories of Tampa, of, uh, Ybor City, of West Tampa. Uh, you know, I'm, I'm 70, I'm almost 70 years old.

[00:12:08] I'm 68 years old. \ As, , some of my friends say, I'm as busy as I've ever been. Mm-hmm. And I, I, I don't let too much time sit under me without trying to be productive, without trying to make, uh, something, uh, you know, e even with the old songs. See, I, I get, you know, I just recently did, . New versions of, , west Tampa, new versions of Ybor City, updated versions.

[00:12:29] I've been tampering with a thing called ai, which a lot of musicians are not happy about, but honestly, uh, it can, it can do things that I couldn't do on my own. Uh, and, and it, it, it's interpreted some of these songs beautifully. I was working on that just before we started on the new version of Ybor City, and I don't know if you heard that one, but that's another good one.

[00:12:50] So 

[00:12:51] Mark Corbett: absolutely it, I, I'm curious that you say it about AI because I, I think of like, well, from going from acoustic to going to a studio, to [00:13:00] being able to control different parts of the sound that we've, we've had different ways we've been able to control how the music sounds over the years without being Milli Vanilli.

[00:13:10] So, yeah. Yeah. And with this,

[00:13:14] Mike Baluja: this, this, this puts it on a whole new platform right now because, . As, as a primarily a lyricist, I've always looked for new ways, , to expose those lyrics, to get the message across. , Whether it be the faith-based music that I do, the locally themed music that I do, uh, whatever it is that I'm working on.

[00:13:34] Uh, I'm trying to find new ways to present it. Uh, so that. It can get to the most listeners and, and, and I can plant the seed and it can be a fruitful seed. And you know, as I said, uh, I understand the, um, apprehension about the ai, but you know what, it's here. It's here to stay. You better learn how to use it and use it for good.

[00:13:56] That's right. 

[00:13:59] Mark Corbett: Well, [00:14:00] thank you. You know, I, one song of yours really. Resonated with me and, uh, Dear God, I believe is the title. And, um, so thank you for that. I, I enjoyed listening to that.

[00:14:10] Mike Baluja: Oh, that's, that's a surprise that you would come up with that. That's, that's now, that was slightly before the AI took over where I was still singing, but I was using professional tracks and, and cutting them up and doing things so that.

[00:14:24] I got that clean sign out of that. And I love, that's a, the song that was in my prayer session in the morning, I said, you know, dear God, I said, what a good idea to take off on that. You know? Yeah. That beginning, you know, and it, it's, it's, it's a letter to God from my heart, you know? So it was a beautiful thing.

[00:14:40] I, I, I loved it, you know. So

[00:14:42] Mark Corbett: you can't ask for much better than that. And uh, I've been very fortunate to have people on this show in baseball who faith is a guiding force for a lot of them. And you know, even, uh, who was it? Meggie Meidlinger who pitched for the USA Women's National team and [00:15:00] amazing, amazing athlete, but at the same time it was.

[00:15:03] I'll have to get the right name for this. I wanna say baseball by, by heart is what it is. It's an organization where, as missionaries, they go into other countries, but Meggie also introduces baseball or helps small little communities even who want to, uh, young ladies and such who wanna learn the, the game.

[00:15:21] So it's kind of neat that she takes her faith along, takes baseball along with her faith, uh, to other communities.

[00:15:27] Mike Baluja: So, you know, I, I find that those players. Uh, that, that are, are, that have a strong faith, uh, are more, more likely to adapt well, when baseball's over. Because let's face it, nothing is forever in this life.

[00:15:41] Uh, except for your faith, except for your love, your family, uh, you know, the people, uh, that, that love, that is a cyclical thing, a oneness. , But, really and truly, uh. The, the ball players I like best the athletes, I like the actors I like are the one with that [00:16:00] humility and that, , ability to, uh, connect and, and not put too much credit into their particular talents.

[00:16:08] You know what I'm saying? Because those talents come and they go.

[00:16:12] Mark Corbett: Yeah. And sometimes those talents are the gifts that open a door for us. Even if we don't have 'em the rest of our life, they're opening doors and giving us opportunity to serve others as well. And I know, uh, like I said, I'm not going to go on that roll with that so much.

[00:16:25] I do wanna say with Meggie's, uh, organization she works with, it's baseball at heart. Pardon me? Yeah. That one coming. No, that happens to me all the time. Oh, brother. I tell you, you know, Mike, I mean, while we're talking about community, talking about faith and about the future too, I mean, you, you're bringing up of course, about Ricky and, and what he achieved and some of the things around him and.

[00:16:51] It could be, uh, uh, somebody that people haven't heard of if they're not there in West Tampa, but there's things now today that have evolved. I mean, if you [00:17:00] look around you now, are there family members? Are there, are there youngsters you see that are, they're enjoying the game as maybe as much as the ones you've seen, uh, say Tony Ciccorello when he was a kid,

[00:17:12] Mike Baluja: I would say they are in a different way. , You know, even, even as far as my life is concerned, my adulthood, , my children,, those were our moments to bond man, you know? And, uh, whether you made it or not or whatever happens and,, to be able to spend an afternoon with your family,

[00:17:28] , Going through struggle, you know, getting in a hotel room and staying somewhere , and getting up in the morning and playing somewhere, , or going to the park and enjoying the concession stand at the park, watching days full of games, whether it be softball, baseball. That's what life is all about, man.

[00:17:43] Yeah. And in fact, you know, I'm gonna point out to one thing that I remember vividly when my son was playing and when we were coming up, Joe Magadan, uh, David's father used to go to that, those games, okay? His sons were already grown. They [00:18:00] had kids of their own and he used to be sitting up in them stands and I used to talk to him from time to time and I vividly remember talking to him one day and he telling him those were the best days of his life.

[00:18:12] Period. Those were the best days growing up with, you know, the kids, the family, the whole nine yards, you know, because as you grow older, everything you get older, you, you start your hurt here and there, uh, things separate, people die. Those were the best days for that guy. And, and I, it resonated in my heart and, and I understood exactly what he was saying.

[00:18:34] Mark Corbett: Well, I, yeah, that's what I was cu wanted to, I guess, more hear about, 'cause I knew, I thought you'd talk about your son. In our previous conversation, and you also talked about Bat Batavia. Can you talk a little bit more about

[00:18:47] Mike Baluja: Oh no. That, listen, I just, uh, that's, that's a long story, but yeah. My, that's my grandson.

[00:18:53] Uh, Julian, , he was, . He was playing, , independent League last year. He went this year, played, had a couple of [00:19:00] bad outings. , They, they released him and he, uh, he ended up turning, Lemons into Lemonade. Uh, he ended up traveling to Batavia where he was very successful in the collegiate league that he played over there.

[00:19:11] It was a perfect game, perfect game. Collegiate League, uh, and Batavia is one of the more successful franchises there that, uh, actually. You know what these teams were trying to do, uh, in that area? It used to be the New York Penn League. Okay. And when baseball, major League Baseball. Took themselves out of their equation.

[00:19:34] Uh, they had to find ways to fill those stadiums because baseball is a huge part of those small towns. Yeah. Uh, so they ended up going into the perfect game, uh, perfect game, collegiate League, and, uh. Julian was there for the inaugural year, uh, in, in 2020, uh, 2021, excuse me. And he played for three years there.

[00:19:55] He was a fan favorite. He, those were good times for him and the best of times for me watching [00:20:00] him, , succeed at that level. , But anyway, , so after he got released, , this year from the independent league that he was in, um, which that. Believe it or not, that happens on a daily basis, hourly basis. It's just part of the game.

[00:20:13] Okay. Yeah. It's what have you done for me lately. But anyway, after he got released, he ended up taking a trip back to Batavia and he joined his old team as an assistant coach. Uh, and uh, he sat it out through the end of the year and they. They made it to the championships. They didn't take it all, but we were hoping, man, and uh, and it was a good feeling.

[00:20:35] It was good to see him in that role. Uh, you know, it was just a, a, a different life lesson. We didn't see that one coming, but it came. He embraced it. And it was great. I was watching Batavia Muck Dogs every day, uh, the way I did in, uh, 20 21, 20 22, and 23, 23. We used to watch him on YouTube every day. Me and my wife again, bonding.

[00:20:57] Well, Julian wasn't here, but we gotta see him and we gotta [00:21:00] spend time with him in that hour or two or three hours. The game was, uh, taking place. So, uh, and in fact, the last game that he played, uh, the last game they played over there was a historic game for the league. It was a, i, I don't know, I wanna say a five hour marathon.

[00:21:15] It was a 17 inning game, brother. Okay. They were, they were locked in for 17 innings and they, you know, do or die, and they finally lost it in the, in the, uh, in the bottom of the 17th inning. Yeah. So.

[00:21:29] Mark Corbett: They, they didn't have a placed player on second, did they for extra inning?

[00:21:33] Mike Baluja: No, no, no, no. They do that, they do that during the regular season and a lot of leagues do that.

[00:21:38] But the, because this was a championship game, uh, they decided not to do that even though probably in about the 14th or 15th inning when it was at a stalemate, they talked about doing something like that. And I said. I, I, I didn't wanna see that it was too late for that. Let's go. Somebody's gonna score sooner, sooner or later.

[00:21:57] And they did. Uh, but, uh, we had our [00:22:00] opportunities, uh, couldn't capitalize on it, and it cost us in the end. Uh, but what a, what a historic, it was the longest game, uh, in the history of the, uh, perfect. Perfect. What is it called? The perfect game. Collegiate Baseball League. Wow. It was the longest game in their history.

[00:22:16] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Oh gosh. That's amazing. I, I gotta tell you, I the place. Okay. I I, I'm fine with a place player during a regular season game, you know? I understand, especially if I'm watching a game that starts at 10 o'clock on the west coast, but Yeah. Uh, no. During, during championship or, or, you know, even getting into postseason stuff, it's like, ah, no, no, no, no, no.

[00:22:39] Let's, let's just, let's keep it real. Well, that's exciting, man. I'm glad you've had that opportunity to be able to watch him, you know, on, on YouTube if, if not in person all that time. That's, that's exciting.

[00:22:49] Mike Baluja: Every, every time we got a chance to see him on the screen, we were happy. You know, we knew he was in good hands.

[00:22:53] He was doing fine. , I don't know what's gonna happen with his baseball career at this point. I don't know if he's gonna resume or try. I, I [00:23:00] think he's, he's almost there. But, you know, that last little bit takes a hell of an effort, you know? And, uh, so you guess. Whether or whether you get released or not.

[00:23:13] Even if you're just floundering in the minor leagues, at some point, uh, you know, you start to second guess yourself and say, Hey, listen, um, I'm gonna, it's time to go on with my life, you know? Yeah. And so, I don't know, I don't know where he is at, and I'm, I'm gonna pray that everything goes good with him or whatever he does, and I'm gonna love him no matter what.

[00:23:30] So, there you go. There you go. That's fantastic. What, what position? Again, he was a pitcher. Wow. That's right. Geez. Yeah. And last year, last year he, they, they, he was fortunate enough, you know, he had some tough times last year too. Had some good times, tough times, uh, but they stuck with him and he stayed there, and he got invited back and, but the bottom line is last year they went from worst to first.

[00:23:55] By the time it was all over and they ended up winning the, uh, their little World series over [00:24:00] there. So he brought back a big old ring man this year and that that was part of being there, uh, for that ring ceremony at the beginning of the year. He bought Nice ring. Nice ring, man. That thing was, I, I don't know that I would wear it anywhere 'cause it's, you know, but it was nice.

[00:24:15] Mark Corbett: Oh, well that's fantastic, Mike. Yeah. , I wanted to ask you what, coming back to your music for a minute, is there anything you're working on right now?

[00:24:22] Mike Baluja: Like I said, uh, I, I just generated , a few, , versions of,, an Ybor City song that I wrote that I rerecorded back in, uh, I wanna say 20. 20 15, 20 16.

[00:24:37] I, I had a guy come in, a guy named Tony Garcia, who has a history here in Tampa. His father was a, a big time, I'm not sure if he was an agent, uh, but, but he was, he was, uh, somebody well known in Tampa,, for his activity around here. And, uh, anyway, I went to school with Tony. I found out he was a singer.

[00:24:55] I recruited him to sing, uh, or I asked him to sing on, uh, this [00:25:00] Ybor City song. 'cause yeah, you know, my, my voice has its limitations and I'm all right with it. I, I, I go with it, but I wanted a different version. And boy, I'll tell you what, he nailed it, man. And if you've, if you've heard this song, I don't know, it's on YouTube.

[00:25:13] I don't know that I could do it any better. Uh, but. As I said with the ai, it gives me an opportunity to explore. I did a club mix. I did a a, a, a bolero mix. I did a solid mix, you know, and it, it's fun to hear these different versions of the song, you know? I mean, I, I, I tell you what, I don't know if you can hear this, but.

[00:25:50] I, I'm just getting part of Mike. I'll tell you what, I'm going to put a link to this, to your songs on, on the notes of this, and if you don't [00:26:00] mind, I'll take one of the songs that you approve. I'll. I'll actually just get the audio and I'll, I'll, I'll attach that at the end as well if, if that works for you.

[00:26:08] That sounds good. That sounds good. The, uh, I remember Tampa's probably the one I'm most known for. Uh, you know, we, I've had several versions of that come out, uh, but that, that's probably gotten the most hits of anything that I've done. It's gone viral on on one, uh, , one of the videos, uh, you know, it's got 700,000 hits.

[00:26:27] Uh, another one's got 60 or 70,000 hits. Uh, you know, but that's probably my most well known song and still. The Tampa Native View, uh, show is using it. It's an attractive entry, uh, to their show. They, they've done a good job in, in, , providing a great, uh, video footage, , and great elements, , in the video that introduces the show, , to the public every week.

[00:26:49] So, I mean, it's, it's there. It's in people's faces constantly. And that's, that's, it's been a great, uh, a great ride with that particular song. Well, man, again, I can't thank you enough [00:27:00] for, uh, joining us here today. Is there anything special you'd like to cover or some special message you'd like to share with everybody?

[00:27:06] You know, there probably is. I, but you caught me. I, I'm, who know who, yeah, I'll, I'll think of it as soon as I'm, uh, I'm finished,, talking to you, but I, I guess, uh.

[00:27:19] The faith, the faith, uh, keep the faith no matter what it is in life, uh, uh, you know, don't, uh, talk about your dreams, do them. Mm. Whether they fail or not. Uh, you know, those are things I like to, uh, encourage. Especially, you know, with the writers. Whatever you do in life, whatever you do in life, you know, a lot, a lot of people say, well, I'm gonna do this.

[00:27:39] I'm gonna do that. Oh. Go ahead and, and do it, and don't, you know, whatever happens, you know, that's fine. Uh, you know, the, the, the worst thing you can do is not to do anything at all and not to fail. It's not to do anything at all. Yeah. Okay. So that's, that's my encouraging word for the day. Uh, faith in god, faith in, uh, love [00:28:00] your family, love, you know, uh, serve your community and, and that's the best you can do in this life.

[00:28:06] Mark Corbett: Wow. Well, that's very clear and very, uh, it's, uh, inspirational and I, as well as your music. I love hearing the history as well. Mike, I can't thank you enough for being on the show today, my friend.