Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic started their show nearly 16 years ago now.
I wasn't there at the very beginning, but by the year 2000 they were part of my morning routine.
Think of the Odd Couple, Stan and Ollie, or Tom and Jerry for similar pairings.
The two seem to have little in common, and it's true. But it's also what makes the show work.
Mike Greenberg is a fan with a background in sports reporting. He grew up in New York and went to school in Chicago.
Golic, on the other hand, is an athlete (Notre Dame football and ten years in the NFL). But his career in the upper echelon was as a lunch-bucket, blue-collar player. A first-class athlete to be sure, but with a common touch.
After all their time on ESPN radio stations across the country (and TV since it's simulcast on ESPN2) there is no pretending. These guys play themselves on air.
One of the primary things I appreciate about their show is the way they engage in sports talk. It's not a put-down fest or a screaming match at all times. There are times the two do disagree, but I always get the feeling they disagree without thinking the other is lower than a slug.
5 days a week for a decade and a half is a wonderful accomplishment and there are several moments of their show that stand out, but for me the time that stands out most happened during the 9/11 attacks.
Their best selves were on display that horrifying and terrifying day. They relayed the events and were a calm voice prior to the network shifting over to ABC News coverage.
In the days that followed, they talked about the earth-shattering event and helped many of us resume a little normal at a very abnormal time.
While volunteering during Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, the two hosted their show downtown. One evening while on my post along Washington Street, I noticed a familiar face, Mike Golic likely heading to dinner. I said Hello and welcomed him to town; he smiled and returned the greeting on a chilly evening.
OK, as brushes with stars go, it's not much.
Which leads to this, these sports voices of the morning have been added to the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and this listener wants to add his congratulations and thanks for the company and entertainment through the years.
I look forward to many more.
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