Can somebody please tell me what these two were doing at Wrigley Field last night?

June 26th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

On the right: I have an opinion on sports that is both manly and ill-considered. I played sports. Ergo: I know sports.

On the left: I am an erudite little guy who mines self-flagellation for humor. I occasionally say smart things. My SportsCenter broadcasts always somehow take on the air of assassination coverage.

Together: We were born to host a hit syndicated morning radio show. Also: to throw the first pitch at Wrigley! Huh?

Listen, Cubs marketing people. I know. I feel your pain. You’ve got 81 home games this year, and Ernie Banks can’t throw out the first pitch at all of them. You improvise. You find celebrities. Etc. It can’t be easy.

But how much sense does it make to have ESPN talk-show personalities be the center of your promotional package? For the Cubs, it’s just sort of stupid. For ESPN, it seems like the kind of too-tight business relationship they’re often criticized for maintaining. In the broadest possible sense of the term, Mike and Mike are journalists. Singing the seventh inning stretch and screaming “let’s get some runs” is like the least journalisty thing you could do. Besides, like, being Jayson Blair. That might be worse.