"Mikeside" Monday Night (Neener, Neener, Neener.)

Every once in a long while, I say the right thing to the right person in the right place at the right time. Last week, I was fortunate enough to say the right thing to the right person in the right place at the right time. I made a joking suggestion to a friend, he thought it was a great idea, and immediately set about seeing if it was possible. Seeing if what was possible, you ask? How about sitting inside the studio at KXL during the broadcast of Courtside Monday Night? The friend (a.k.a atlblazerman or ABM), in town on vacation, made a couple of inquiries, and got permission for us to attend the broadcast. Mike Barrett, Mike Rice, and "The Captain" Rich Patterson couldn't have been nicer. In fact, ABM and I arrived outside the studio a few minutes early, and Barrett had to stop the lady at the front desk from asking us not to stand around outside the door, lol. Rice arrived (just off the golf course) a few minutes later, and we sat down and watched as the two Mikes adjusted their mics and prepared to do the show. The terrific chemistry that comes through so well on the air was even more apparent inside the studio. I was reminded of Michaels and Madden, and I mean that as high praise indeed. They were kind enough to allow us to take pictures, and even video clips, which I have posted here. A couple things to watch for in the videos:

In "Golf Tourney," watch Rice's reaction when Barrett tells how much it costs to play in the charity tournament.

In "Training Camp," watch Barrett try to keep a straight face after Rice struggles to find the word "activities."

It was a little weird during the telephone interviews with Brian Wheeler and Antonio Harvey because ABM and I had no headphones, and therefore couldn't hear what they were saying. Barrett and Rice would listen quietly, smiling and nodding occasionally, then both would burst into laughter. Really quite a bizzare sight, seeing people react to what appears to be dead silence, lol.

My favorite moment was when Barrett was reading the statement about Zach Randolph. Rice pulled his headphones off, leaned over to me, and asked, "What was Con- Con- Conzano's first name again?" I told him "John, but you can call him Jason..."

Another good one: We were watching the LLWS playoffs, and a pitch was called a strike. Rice said, "Oh, that was low and outside." When Barrett told him that our team was pitching, and he said, "Oh, in that case, that was a good pitch!"

Anyway, I can't thank KXL, Mike, Mike, and Rich enough for their hospitality and courtesy. I know I won't soon forget the experience, and I'm confident when I say ABM won't, either. I was a huge CSMN fan before Monday night, and if possible, I'm an even bigger fan now. Of course, that might be from the huge plate of pasta I ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory after the show...