mike and mike in the morning

Tim Hasselbeck spent many years working alongside professional athletes as an NFL quarterback, and he spoke on 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (Weekdays, 7AM on ESPN2) about the reality that some of these big, strong tough guys aren't.

"These big strong tough guys," he said. "A lot of them, mentally though ... are super sensitive. Real sensitive." The myth of toughness and machismo that guys want to put off in the sports arena just never seems to hold itself together when stress and exhaustion become a factor. Everybody handles the same situations in different ways. "That's why every player's a little different as well in terms of how you manage them," Hasselbeck concluded.

He admitted that his own insecurities settled in when he started losing his hair. He might have become one of those guys with that horrible stringy comb-over look had it not been for the timely intervention of a teammate on the New York Giants.

It took the San Francisco Giants 56 years to win a World Series, their first since moving from New York. It took less than a day for the press release to go out stating which of those Giants were free agents and might not even be with the team by the time they get their championship rings, a fact lamented by Mike Greenberg on 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (Weekdays, 6AM on ESPN2).

"We do not smell the roses in our society, you wonder why everyone is so miserable," says Greenberg. "We strive, we strive, we strive, and when we finally accomplish something, we never stop to enjoy it."

Co-host Mike Golic agreed, saying that he would like a day or two before being reminded of "the fact that while they're celebrating, some of those Giants are not Giants anymore."

The two Mikes probably won't get much sympathy from the player's agents on that one.

Amanda, a camera operator on the 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2) is getting married and the two Mikes debated which of the pair could offer better advice on how to handle a wedding.

According to Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic is under the impression that it's him. Greenberg certainly doesn't agree. At Golic's wedding, Greenberg said, "everyone stripped down to their shorts and played with water guns." Mind you, Greenberg said, this wasn't a 9-year-old's birthday, it was a wedding.

Golic, of course, is proud of his unconventional wedding party. "Who says you have to go by the book," Golic said. "Have fun, it's your day."

Amanda seemed to agree with Golic. What do you think?

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic argue that referees should stick to strict interpretation of rules rather than rely on judgment to make their calls on 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2). To support their point, the radio hosts play a parody of a referee making several questionable calls.

You might think Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2) would be unlikely experts on Stephen Hawking's theories ... and you'd be right.

Seems Mike Greenberg normally isn't a huge fan of the NFL preseason, but, now it looks like he's just about had it. On 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2), Greenberg said he abandoned a preseason game between the Jets and the Eagles because he found it "unwatchable."

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic discuss their frustration over several unwritten rules in baseball and put forth a few of their own on 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2).

On 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2), Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic offer their perspective on bad boy Manny Ramirez, who was recently sent to the White Sox by the Dodgers, and suggest that a new reality show could be in the offing when Ramirez meets colorful White Sox coach Ozzie Guillen.

ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb and former football player Cris Carter weigh in on the practice of hazing in the NFL while filling in for Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM on ESPN2).

There must be a Polish joke in here somewhere. On 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2), Mike Golic reports on a 35-year-old Polish man who carried a bullet in his head for five years after being shot on New Year's Eve.

Actually, it's guest hosts Erik Kuselias and Cris Carter who discussed swearing in football during today's 'Mike & Mike in the Morning' (weekdays at 6AM ET on ESPN2), to be precise. The subject came up because of former-coach Tony Dungy's recent comments that the NFL should fine N.Y. Jets coach Rex Ryan for cursing so much on his 'Hard Knocks' reality show.

Dungy doesn't like swearing and demands that his players use clean language. Of course, most coaches and players aren't like that. They've been around a swearing culture since they were kids. In a violent sport that suffers from a myriad of off-the-field criminal problems, it's somewhat of a juvenile battle for Dungy to wage.

Is it embarrassing for a sports network to lose to a teen pop band at softball? Guest-host Erik Kuselias of 'Mike & Mike in the Morning' (weekdays at 6AM ET on ESPN2) doesn't think so. He and others from the network played The Jonas Brothers and their roadies/managers last week and lost. But Kuselias was a hero to his daughter and his nieces because they got to meet the three brothers.

Rob "Stats" Guerrera, the board operator for 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' (weekdays, 6AM ET on ESPN2), plays 'Alejandro' by Lady Gaga at the beginning of a segment, greatly upsetting Mike Greenberg, who finds Gaga objectionable due to racy attire she wore at New York baseball games in June.

Logrolling seems like one of those things that a person just can't do the first, oh, 50 or so times that they try it. Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg found that out on today's 'Mike & Mike in the Morning' (weekdays at 6AM on ESPN2). They decided to challenge two female logrolling experts and...well, the results are pretty predictable.

Not sure if this is part of Mike & Mike's physical challenges to each other, but it should be.

It's time for a physical challenge! Recently, Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth failed to pass his physical conditioning test. If Haynesworth doesn't manage to eventually pass this test, then his more than $100 million contract could be voided.

But how hard is the test in question? Could a "fat" former football player who has been retired for 16 years manage to do it? On 'Mike and Mike in the Morning,' (weekdays, 6AM on ESPN2), Golic and Greenie would debate the issue. That debate would be settled later in the afternoon. Video inside.