5 JUN 2020 · Another edition of Shapiro's Round Table which straddles the line between sports and politics with a side of existential musings. I'm joined by legendary Canadian sportscaster and journalism professor Tony Ambrogio (Tony_Ambrogio), radio broadcaster at The Neutral Zone on AMI Radio and host Cam Jenkins (@NeutralZoneCamJ), and sports editor at La Portada Canada and analyst Eduardo Harari (@edharari). We talked about: how different leagues are handling their proposed post-pandemic playoff formats, which organization has impressed the most and demonstrated the worst, is this the death knell for Major League Baseball and can they afford to lose a season at this junction in their history, why it seems insane to consider a return to normalcy at this stage from a sports perspective, and how fans should perceive ruthless monetization efforts that make little sense. In other words, plenty of baseball bashing. Don't forget to subscribe to arishapiro.ca. and receive all my latest literary, audio and video content. Tonight's round table was recorded on June 2nd, 2020, and is proudly brought to you by: Cloudwifi (@cloudwifiInc) - a better kind of internet worth discovering! Theme: Fragments/Ascension (Thievery Corporation, 2013)

18 APR 2020 · Shapiro’s League of Seven: “Playing The Blame Game” (Episode #06) Guests: Jon Reid, Chris Henderson and Marshall Auerback Hosted by Ari Shapiro Recorded: April 17th, 2020 (33:25) With the coronavirus now fully entrenched as a permanent part of our lives, it has become painfully obvious that the most vulnerable, downtrodden and disenfranchised members of society don't stand a chance in the wake of our lack of empathy and foresight. The League returns after a short hiatus to feature a lively round table where we discuss the concept of attributing and perhaps navigating the reality of how and why this pandemic is proving to be so difficult to overcome. We discussed the legitimacy of the World Health Organization (WHO) throughout this pandemic, why the old world globallist institutions and post-1948 safeguards failed the world so miserably, the fiasco that reveals how poorly we look after nursing home and special care needs patients, how Donald Trump's insistence on re-opening the economy has put him in the crosshairs of individual states and their autonomy, and how the cultural rot of media personalities such as Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil has fractured the psyche and innate confidence of all Americans. Theme: Into The Woods (Tycho, Weather, 2019)

6 APR 2020 · Shapiro’s League of Seven: “In Search Of A New Normal” (Episode #05) Guests: Mick Sloniowski, Marshall Auerback and Jason Woodell Hosted by Ari Shapiro Recorded: April 4th, 2020 (41:45) The League gathers a bevy of eminent members to break free from the cabin fever and swirling anxieties we're all feeling during these surreal times. We discussed conspiracy theories, losing creature comforts, how the perfect wartime analogy doesn't work when there's little unity and cooperation between countries of the world, how this pandemic is exposing our supply chain weaknesses and a lack of basic political cognition and will, why Doug Ford looks like gold and Donald Trump continues to pretend it's all about gold, how 30 million unemployed Americans will likely ensure that domestic abuse, suicide rates and general mental health challenges will likely remain our greatest existential threat. Trust me, it's not all doom and gloom. Theme: Peaches (The Presidents of the United States of America, 1995)

3 APR 2020 · Shapiro's League of Seven: "Bring In The Cavalry" (Episode #04) League members: Jon Reid and Luke Armstrong Hosted by Ari Shapiro Recorded: April 1st, 2020 (29:51) The League takes a closer look into how we as humans are battling cabin fever as it slowly metastasizes into a grim reality of utter boredom and lingering anxiety. We discussed the psychological toll this pandemic has taken on society as a whole and what to do with the prospect of martial law looming on the horizon in countries which consider themselves democratic. Meanwhile, countless authoritarian populist nations are busy making themselves sick with hubris and misanthropic myopia. Need more? Listen in. Theme: death bed (Powfu, death bed - coffee for your head, 2019)

28 MAR 2020 · Shapiro's League of Seven: "No man or woman is an island" (Episode #03) League members: Jon Reid and Chris Henderson Hosted by Ari Shapiro Recorded: March 27th, 2020 (30:32) Another day, another lockdown. Most of the western world is losing their respective battles with the coronavirus while other smaller nations continue to impress us with their fortitude, fastidious ways and transparency to their local communities. In lieu of this powerful variance between how different countries have handing this pandemic, it's abundantly clear that the idealistic notion of cooperative globalism has been reduced to a cynical mantra of everyone for themselves and let's hope fear and anxiety doesn't destroy the best laid plans of mankind. It makes me wonder: what will happen when this period of life is over and is this really an opportunity for humanity's reboot in the areas of kindness, compassion and empathy while making health care the absolute most important political issue of our time moving forward - or will it be back to business as usual with 2% less humans and significantly less civil rights and freedoms? Theme: Lovers In A Dangerous Time (Bruce Cockburn, Stealing Fire, 1984) "No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thy friend's. Or of thine own were: Any man's death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind, And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee." -John Donne (1624)

23 MAR 2020 · Shapiro's League of Seven: "The Failure of Social Distancing and Donald Trump" (Episode #02) League members: Chris Henderson and Bradley Huff Hosted by Ari Shapiro Record: March 22nd, 2020. Subjects covered: 1. The coronavirus aka COVID-19 is raging, and social distancing is proving to me an unmitigated failure. While countries like South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam are proving to show the world that they can slay the pandemic giant - other nations such as Italy, Iran and The United State of New York City are ensuring that an inevitable lockdown is n the horizon - the kind that will prevent you from having your pretentiously premium coffee brewed for you while limiting the glory of having beef vindaloo and garlic naan with your binge-watching weekend. These are dark times that could last half a year or longer before we flatten the curve as the cool kids like to say. 2. What the hell went wrong? How did we know so much about the imminent arrival of this pandemic and why do we find ourselves handling it like lemmings hoarding toilet paper, bread, and other medical supplies while those who really need it are frustrated to roam the planet looking for an available hospital bed? Where's the empathy and compassion needed to overcome this crisis...and has it ever existed? 3. How Donald Trump stumbled and bumbled has way into political oblivion, downplaying the severity of the situation and reducing the number of CDC workers...and yet it's more than likely he'll be re-elected in November when and if the elections are held. Theme: Money City Maniacs (Sloan, Navy Blues, 1998)

19 MAR 2020 · Shapiro's League of Seven: "The Day The Sports World Paused" (Episode 01) League members: Marshall Auerback and Mick Sloniowski Hosted by Ari Shapiro Record: March 17th, 2020. Subjects covered: 1. The day the sports world disappeared. 2. Flattening the curve; stay-at-home guidelines and cash reinforcements, debt write-offs - how should the world handle this development? 3. The threat of social media when it comes to the disappearance of toilet paper and key goods. 4. Italy and Iran's total failure; why South Korea's mandatory testing policy worked right off the bat. 5. Israel cyber-monitoring; deploying cell phone monitoring technology - is that an Orwellian gateway? Theme: Coffee and Feels (Satin Jackets, Golden Feel, 2020)

3 MAR 2020 · Thrilled to be flanked by some seriously savvy and enthusiastic basketball insiders as we discuss the Toronto Raptors of the NBA and why they remain the best kept secret in the sports universe. Joining me is beer league veteran and former college basketball player Mick Sloniowski (@Mickey_Slo), popular Canadian podcaster and blogger Karim Kanji (@karimkanji), and sportscaster and radio announcer Michael Asiffo (@michaelasiffo). Together we discussed: why it's so bloody difficult for the team to earn respect south of the border, how baseball and hockey have failed where basketball succeeds, the brilliance of Adam Silver and the failure of Rob Manfred, how pandering to fans has become a lost art, why Nick Nurse deserves his own private island in British Columbia, and what to expect from the reigning champions when it comes to this year's playoffs. Be sure to check out WelcomeToTheMusic.com and The Leg Kick podcast today. Don't forget to subscribe to arishapiro.ca. and receive all my latest literary, audio and video content at your leisure. It's free and comes with pie.

3 MAR 2020 · My latest conversation with celebrated writer, author, and Montreal Expos historian Danny Gallagher, who began covering the team in 1988 and has been a regular contributor to the Canadian Baseball Network. His latest literary effort is Always Remembered: New Revelations And Old Tales About Those Fabulous Expos. We discussed why the Expos have become an indelible part of Canada's baseball history, how 1969-2004 represented a treasure trove of memories for diehard fans, what could have happened in 1994 to change the fate of the franchise, and how much inspiration he's received over the years as a true archivist and chronicler of French baseball lore. Be sure to check out Danny on social media (@dannogallagher7) and all his prolific work across Amazon, Indigo and other major bookselling retail outlets. Subscribe to arishapiro.ca today to receive my latest audio, video and existential creative efforts. Music: "Circles" (Post Malone, Circles, 2019)

29 FEB 2020 · My latest conversation with critically-acclaimed broadcaster and author Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, who was recently named Ballpark Digest's 2019 MiLB Broadcaster of the Year. We talked about the gruesome state of the game and what cheating has meant to an entire generation of baseball fans, if the Toronto Blue Jays can justify his prediction for wins in 2020 versus mine (JGS: 88, AS: 78), what this season has in store for Shapiro/Atkins detractors, and what modern technology has done to expose the true layers of amoral and unethical behaviour that exists in today's game. Be sure to check out Jesse's fine work at jessegoldbergstrassler.com and @jgoldstrass on social media. His latest books include: The Baseball Thesaurus and The Football Thesaurus. Subscribe to arishapiro.ca today to receive my latest audio, video and existential creative efforts.