B
randon Rothenberg has
found his voice.
It’s on his new base-
ball-themed podcast called
Motor City Hardball that is
available through Blue Wire,
a California-based sports
podcasting platform that was
launched in 2018.
Rothenberg, a 23-year-old West
Bloomfield resident, has done
10 weekly episodes of Motor City
Hardball since December. Each
episode is released at 3 p.m. EST
Wednesday on Apple Podcasts
and Spotify.
“Baseball is my passion,
”
Rothenberg said. “Hopefully
this podcast will get my foot in
the door to a career of covering
baseball.
”
Rothenberg sometimes has a
guest on his podcast.
His guest in episode No. 5 was
longtime friend David Vinsky.
A Farmington Hills Harrison
High School graduate who was
selected in the 15th round of
the 2019 Major League Draft by
the St. Louis Cardinals, Vinsky
should resume his professional
baseball career this summer
in the Cardinals’ farm system
after an unexpected season off
because of the COVID-19 pan-
demic.
The conversation between
friends on Rothenberg’s podcast
episode was informal, humorous
and informational.
It ran the gamut from discuss-
ing Vinsky’s days as a three-sport
high school athlete, baseball star
at Northwood University and
professional ballplayer to talking
about Vinsky’s renewed interest
in collecting baseball cards while
trying to pass the time during
the pandemic.
Vinsky told Rothenberg the
amazing story of opening a pack
of baseball cards and finding a
rare card autographed by All-
Star Mike Trout.
Eli Weil, another longtime
friend of Rothenberg and fel-
low North Farmington High
School and 2020 Michigan State
University graduate, is trying
to make Rothenberg’s dream of
being a baseball media member
a reality while giving his own
career a boost.
Weil is studying at the
Blackbird Academy in Nashville,
Tenn., with the goal of getting
into music production or audio
engineering.
He created original theme
music for Rothenberg’s podcast
that is played at the beginning
and end of each podcast and in
the middle to break up the con-
versation.
“It took a couple tries before
Brandon made his decision on
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West Bloomfi
eld resident Brandon
Rothenberg steps up to the plate each
week on the Blue Wire platform.
MSU Grad Plays
‘Motor City Hardball’
On His Podcast
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
36 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021
Brandon
Rothenberg
records an
episode of
his Motor
City Hardball
podcast.
Mat Ishbia was a team player when
he played basketball at Michigan
State University,
doing all he
could to make his
teammates better
players.
He did the same
thing Feb. 4, only
on a much larger
scale.
Ishbia, president and CEO of
Pontiac-based United Wholesale
Mortgage and a 2016 inductee into
the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall
of Fame, donated $32 million to
Michigan State’s athletic program.
It’s the largest donation from an
individual in MSU’s history.
“This donation is not about me,”
Isbhia said in a news release issued
by UWM. “This is to give credit
to and thank coach Tom Izzo, the
business school and Michigan State
University for the incredible impact
they have had on my life.”
Izzo, in turn, praised Ishbia in the
release.
“From the first day he joined our
basketball team and, in the years
following, I’ve watched Mat continue
to make an impact for the better-
ment of others, taking the lessons
he learned at Michigan State and
instilling them in his company,” Izzo
said.
“Every day, as a member of our
team, Mat wanted to improve him-
self and others around him, knowing
that on every successful team, just
as in business, everyone has a part
to play. He has never relented that
attitude.
“This gift speaks volumes to Mat’s
character and the way he runs his
business today; always focusing on
creating a family atmosphere and
being there for one another.”
The largest part of Ishbia’s dona-
tion to MSU — $20 million — is for
the football program. The money
will be used for an expansion of the
Skandalaris Football Center.
Some $2 million will go to
the MSU basketball program’s
Excellence Fund. Izzo will decide
how that money is used.
Ishbia was a star basketball play-
er at Birmingham Seaholm High
School (1996-98) and he was named
a Jewish News High School Athlete
of the Year when he was a senior.
He was a member of three
straight Big Ten champion and Final
Four teams (1999-2001) at MSU, and
he was a graduate assistant coach
for the Spartans for one season.
He also was a three-time
Academic All-Big Ten honoree
(2000-2002) at MSU, and the win-
ner of the President’s Award for
having the highest grade-point
average of all senior athletes.
He graduated from MSU’s Eli
Broad College of Business in 2003.
Ishbia became a billionaire Jan.
22 after his company went public.
Look for a feature profile of Mat Ishbia in
an upcoming JN.
Mat Ishbia Sends
a $32 Million
Thank You to MSU
quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN
TWITTER