For the year end holidays, my wife presents me with Mike Greenberg's book, Why My Wife Thinks I'm an Idiot: The Life and Times of a Sportscaster Dad (going for $5 used on Amazon). To say the least, I was in complete surprise when she handed it to me. She goes, "I know Mike and Mike, you know I am such the sports fan", which she is truly not.

I am trying to figure out why she chose to get me this book:

1. Because she sees me watching their show every morning on ESPN 2 .
2. Because he is a famous, pretty boy, well spoken, and very nicely dressed - everything I am not and should aspire to be.
3. Because he is a sports fan and his wife thinks he's an idiot.
4. Because she is trying to butter me up so I get her something she wants.
5. All of the above.

Last year I was lucky enough to tune in for the show where Greeny lost a bet to Golic, and had to milk a cow on live TV. I must have been a half hour late for work that day, but it was well worth it. Greeny comes out in boots and a big white lab jacket - which horrified him in itself as he is the uber metrosexual. But he got over that quickly when he saw the cow, as he was more terrified than I would be if next year's Yanks rotation had Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, and Pedro Martinez in their primes. Watching him grudgingly get on stool under the cow was a top 10 TV moment of 2007.

So the premise of the book is that Greenberg visits a psychiatrist off and on over the years, Dr. Gray. She suggests he creates a journal to express and record his feelings. The 200+ pages are annecdotes from this journal.

I expected to read about what's like to be on the #1 sports radio show and meet all these great professional athletes. I expected all sorts of stories about him being made fun by and making of Golic. To my surprise, there was very little about sports in the book - it was more about his interactions with his wfie, his kids, his very interesting family, and his friends. How he has so many good things going for him, and he still as all the concerns and struggles we have - and probably moreso in his case.

It was pretty entertaining. Normally it takes me a while to finish a book (as I read to kill time on my subway rides to and from work), but I tore through this one cover to cover in a few days. There's no doubt he is the type of guy that many of us make fun of, so he plays to that and makes fun of himself exceptionally well. Lots of funny stories, some intersting ones, and even a few sad ones.

My favorites parts were the bits about his Aunt Ada, the gambling addict. There was no over-under this woman would not bet her friends on - including how long it would take for Greeny's wife to leave him. And she was always pumping Greeny for inside information.

So what have I learned from reading this book:

• I could read a book expecting it to be about sports and not be disappointed when it was not.
• I am also an idiot (and do annoying and embarassing things). But if a star like Greeny is one, I guess it's OK.
• We both relate way too much in day to day life to our love for sports, and it backfires on us.
• We both have wives that are smarter than we are. I got this book and she got an Ipod Nano for the holidays. This tradeoff reminds of the one the Pats swung getting Randy Moss for a fourth round draft choice (only to have Moss rip up his contract, agreeing to a huge paycut, and then have an all time great season). Belichick, Pioli, and Theo Epstien could learn from her.

After reading this book, I got to thinking that Greeny's journal and Bill Simmons's blog have become best selling books. Now they are both witty guys being greatly encouraged by a huge media company (ESPN), but it is just amazing how much enjoyment they have brought me by reading their opinions and ramblings. So I am going to try to do a better job in regularly posting on this blog (even though I don't have great sports connections and I'm not near the writer as either of them).

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