Mike and Mike's Rules for Sports and Life [Hardcover]

Mike Greenberg (Author), Mike Golic (Author), Andrew Chaikivsky (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2010

Every morning more than three million listeners tune in to Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio—mostly to hear the Mikes’ (Golic and Greenberg) riotous back-and-forth on everything from why baseball managers should dress like real people to how to lose a fight with the wife with dignity. In Mike and Mike’s Rules for Sports and Life, the beloved mic jockeys put their unique stamp on, well, the rules for sports and life. In years on the road, in the studio, and at home, Greeny and Golic have learned that it’s all about the big stuff: separating order from chaos, ensuring our survival as a species, and keeping peace. For instance:
 
• The Fourth of July should be eliminated and replaced with an Independence Day that falls on the first Thursday of the month, creating a four-day weekend like Thanksgiving, which, by the way, could do without the Detroit Lions.
• “The Human Element” in sports officiating and weather forecasting sucks.
• The top pick in the NBA draft lottery should go to the team that came closest to making the playoffs—not to the team that rips off fans by mailing it in after the All-Star break. 
• When someone says, “I’m being completely honest,” they might as well be claiming that they go to Hooters just for the wings.
• Kids do not get to eat french fries for breakfast. Ever. And who cares what the kids at the next table are ordering.
• No more designated hitter!
 
If you’re one of Golic and Greeny’s legions of followers, you probably can’t get enough of this sort of provocative, hilarious, and occasionally obsessive stuff. And if you’re one of those fans who live by the rule “There oughta be a rule,” then Mike and Mike’s Rules for Sports and Life is the book for you.
 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Mikes are the very popular hosts of ESPN Radio’s early morning sports talk show. Part of what makes the show work is the hosts’ contrary personalities. Golic is an articulate, no-nonsense former NFL defensive lineman. Greenberg is a sports-savvy, self-described metrosexual whose mind is filled with inherently worthless minutiae that becomes valuable because, well, he makes his living as a sports yakker. The book recounts some of their best on air-discussions—in transcript form—and conveys the ubiquitous silliness that drives the show. There are details of their off-air lives and contrived misadventures, such as the time Greeny offered use of Golic’s car to the show’s listeners. Formatted as a faux self-help book, the extensively illustrated volume includes sections on why athletes will one day rule the world and why college football is the most philosophical of sports. The show’s millions of fans will surely enjoy this print version, and other sports fans who happen upon the book will be prompted to spin their radio dials and have a listen. Funny and entertaining. --Wes Lukowsky

About the Author

Mike Greenberg is the New York Times bestselling author of Why My Wife Thinks I’m an Idiot and was host of the ABC TV game show Duel. He lives outside New York City with his wife and two children.
 
Mike Golic is a graduate of Notre Dame and a nine-year NFL veteran, having played defensive tackle for the Houston Oilers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins. He is married with three children.
 
Did we mention they host Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: ESPN (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345516222
• ISBN-13: 978-0345516220
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.8 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > Essays
  • #36 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Radio > General Broadcasting

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Disappointing, April 17, 2010

By 

Evelyn M. Miller (Chatsworth, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mike and Mike's Rules for Sports and Life (Hardcover)

As a devoted Mike and Mike listener, and given the huge amount of self promotion daily on their show, I was eagerly looking forward to this book. In short, "meh". Nothing new, rehash of some of their old comedy bits, and as previously posted here, a format that was hard on the eyes and often difficult to follow. I know that Golic frequently talks about writing this book with his crayons - and given the format - there seems to be some truth to his assertion. As for content, the only redeeming chapter, is the one written by the wives. Save your money and wait until it appears on the bargain rack at your local bookstore.

29 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not waste your time or money on this one., April 8, 2010

By 

Donald H. Smith "deacon" (Glendale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mike and Mike's Rules for Sports and Life (Hardcover)

Let me start by saying that I am a fan of the Mike and Mike show on ESPN Radio but I am not a fan of this book in any way. Knowing the two Mike's, I did not pick of this book expecting to get any deep points on life but I did expect to get at least some new material for my money. I did not see any. This looked as if someone at ESPN had just taken different bits from the show and put them in book form. While I did find that the book made me recall several fun exchanges from the show, not enough to make it worth my time to read. I am disappointed that the boys put this book out just to make a few bucks off of their fans. One final comment on the style of the book, the lay out of the book made it diffcult to review at time, this a book you review instead of read. The print and color style at time almost made me sick. If you do not have anything new to say, then try to cover that up with new packaging.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I am sorry I purchased this book, May 16, 2010

By 

Eric B. Smith (NE Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mike and Mike's Rules for Sports and Life (Hardcover)

I am really sorry that I purchased this book and spend time reading it. My time and money would have been better spent elsewhere. I had enjoyed Mike Greenberg's "Why my Wife Thinks I'm an Idiot." I expected similar entertainment with this new book. I expected Greenberg to pull awesome insight from Mike Golic, just as he does each morning on Mike and Mike in the Morning. But that is not what I found.

The writing style and layout are appropriate for a 4th grade library. Many elementary school sports fans would love the color pictures, color words (green for Greenberg, olive for Golic), and the simple concepts. Remove the references to Hooters wings and erectile dysfunction medication, and this book will be ready for young readers. It is set up perfecty for practice reading out loud. I can see it now, two boys could read aloud together to their teacher. It would be a lot easier to read that a lot of other 4th grade books.

After submitting this review, I expect to be banned from listening to Mike and Mike for three days. That's okay, it is baseball season. I an willing to miss a few days of baseball talk to help others avoid my mistake.