On The Subject with Mike Vilardo

What does it actually take to get recruited by Brown baseball—and is a 4.0 GPA enough? Brown head baseball coach Frank Holbrook joins Mike Vilardo on On The Subject to break down Ivy League recruiting, from grades, test scores, and course rigor to what gets a player on his recruiting board. He shares what makes a recruiting email stand out, why he prefers full-game film over highlights, and how families should prioritize spen...

Is travel baseball helping your kid or just draining your wallet? On this episode of On The Subject, Mike Vilardo sits down with Bobby Minor, the voice behind Chasing Baseball Dreams, for an honest conversation about youth baseball. Drawing on decades of experience as a player, coach, and parent, Bobby breaks down what families should actually spend money on, why chasing exposure too early can backfire, and how to navigate college ...

What does it really take to play Division I hockey at an Ivy League school? Brown University head coach Thomas Upton joins Mike Vilardo to break down the path from youth hockey to juniors to college recruiting. He explains what coaches look for at the rink, which recruiting emails get a response, and why players shouldn’t panic if they aren’t being contacted early. They also unpack Ivy League admissions and financial ai...

Former D1 Forward Todd Goehring joins Mike Vilardo to reveal what it really costs to raise a hockey player and chase the dream of playing professionally. Todd left home at 16, lived with billet families, played more than 100 junior games, and spent five seasons at Sacred Heart before continuing his career in the ECHL and SPHL. He breaks down where the money in youth hockey actually goes, what minor-league players really earn, and w...

Eleven months into the job he calls a homecoming, MIT men's basketball head coach BJ Dunn sits down with Subject co-founder and CEO Michael Vilardo in Cambridge to talk about building a program where the recruiting pitch isn't a scholarship — it's a career. Dunne walks through what MIT admissions actually looks for, why his staff can't offer a pre-read or a likely letter and how they build trust with families anyway, and what...

Eric Jones Jr. is the Savannah Bananas' all-time home run leader, a former MLB bullpen catcher, and a veteran of affiliated and indy ball. He's played every version of this sport, so we asked him the question the next generation is starting to ask: if you're good enough to keep playing after college, is grinding through the minors still the obvious path, or is Banana Ball a legitimate alternative? We get into the tryouts, the eleve...

Daniel “Diamond Hands” Amesbury walked away from professional hockey at 23 and spent eight years away from the game—including years working on tugboats in British Columbia. Then, at 31, he entered the first-ever Ice Wars fighting tournament, won three fights in one night, and suddenly found himself with pro teams calling again.

On this episode of On the Subject, Mike Vilardo sits down with one of hockey’...

Gary Roberts Performance is the most quietly influential address in hockey — the Toronto program where the best players in the world spend their summers, and where more than 200 NHL-drafted players have trained in the last decade alone.

In this episode, Gary breaks down how that garage gym became the off-season home for NHL stars, and where fuel, training, and recovery actually rank in terms of what moves the needle. He walks ...

In this episode of On the Subject, DSARM sits down with Mike Vilardo to talk about the decision to bet on content, how he found his lane in a crowded baseball world, and what it actually takes to turn videos into a career.

Dan Sarmiento, better known as DSARM, went from a left-handed pitcher at Exeter High and Bridgton Academy to one of the most-followed independent baseball creators online. Instead of chasing a college ro...

This week, Mike sits down with Ariel "Tarzan" Sexton—ONE Championship veteran, The Ultimate Fighter competitor, and one of the pioneers of MMA in Costa Rica. From moving to Costa Rica with nothing but a suitcase to competing against some of the world's best, Ariel shares the highs, the setbacks, and everything people don't see behind a career in professional fighting.

They talk about fighting through devastating inju...

Former first-round MLB Draft pick Jacob Turner joins Mike Vilardo on On the Subject to share what really happens after your name is called on draft day. From signing a multi-million dollar bonus out of high school to spending eight seasons in Major League Baseball, Jacob breaks down the realities of professional baseball that most players and families never hear about.

Together they discuss the MLB Draft process, signing b...

What does it really take to make it to the NHL—and even harder, build a lasting professional career? On this episode of On the Subject, Mike Vilardo sits down with NHL player agent Dominic Boily for an inside look at the business of professional hockey. Drawing from years of representing elite players, Dom explains what NHL organizations are actually looking for beyond raw talent, how the draft and free agency ...

Atlanta native and MLB veteran Kyle Farmer joins On the Subject for an honest conversation from his childhood home about what it really takes to last nearly 10 years in Major League Baseball. After making his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kyle has built a career spanning more than 800 MLB games, recording over 500 career hits, 60+ home runs, and earning a reputation as one of baseball's most dependable utility p...

Podcast Description

Adam Cecere joins us on On the Subject to talk about what it takes to build a successful life beyond sports. A former Division I baseball standout at Wake Forest and Penn State, Adam hit 49 career home runs, played in more than 140 collegiate games, and served as team captain. But while competing at the highest level, he was also building something bigger—founding Celo Nutrition, a sports performa...

Coach Ballgame, also known as James Lowe, joins us on On the Subject for an honest conversation about youth baseball, player development, and the realities of the recruiting process. As the Youth Ambassador for Major League Baseball's Play Ball Program and a Brown University graduate, James has spent more than two decades helping young athletes and their families navigate the game the right way. From running camps and cli...

Coach Ferber joins us on On the Subject to break down player development, recruiting, and what it really takes to make it in baseball - from someone who built his reputation from the ground up in Coney Island and became the most followed baseball coaching voice on social media.

Coach Jason Ferber has over 225,000 Instagram followers and has developed some of the top young players in the country. His philosophy is simple: know your ...

This week on On The Subject Podcast, Michael Vilardo sits down with veteran MLB agent Mark Leinweaver, who has represented over 75 professional baseball players and worked with all 30 MLB organizations. From what it really takes to get drafted, to the biggest mistakes athletes and parents make in recruiting, Mark shares an unfiltered look at the business of baseball. The two dive into D1 vs mid-major schools, when to go pro, h...

In this episode of On The Subject, Michael Vilardo heads to Yale University to sit down with Yale Baseball Assistant Coach Corey Keane and standout student-athletes Garrett Larson and Colin Sloane for an inside look at what it really takes to compete at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. From recruiting myths and what Ivy League coaches actually look for, to balancing mechanical engineering with D...