Full Disclosure: I actually attended the Dream Job finale last night in New York City, BUT to maintain the integrity of today's report, I TiVo'ed the show and watched it from the usual "comfort-of-my-couch" perspective.

Meanwhile, I'm bursting: I enjoyed my own "Dream" moment -- a one-on-one introduction with none other than Dream Job star judge Al Jaffe himself! And let me say: He's as sincere and friendly in person as he is on the panel delivering his weekly critiques. This must be how it feels when Idol-worshippers meet Simon Cowell.

Having given myself a few hours to come down from that thrill, this Finale recap must inevitably start with the finish:

Mike Hall won a new car for his performance.

Let's go back to my first impression from the Week 1 episode: He looked like he was going to pee his pants from nervousness.

How appropriate then, as he answered sports-trivia questions on the 11 p.m. SportsCenter -- each one worth an additional $5,000 to his salary -- that he made a reference to staining his chair out of anxiety. Was my original analysis so off-base?

How did Mike out-last the other finalists, particularly the ultra-smooth Aaron in the last round? Let's examine from the start:

Apparently, Judge LaVar was, himself, given the boot ... okay, he had to go to Redskins practice. (Wait: Where was the call to me to serve as the replacement? *Sigh.* Maybe "Dream Job 2"...)

The four finalists -- Zach, Aaron, Maggie and Mike -- were given four classic sports moments to deliver as if they were the play-by-play commentator in the actual moment. Well, if nothing else, they can appear awfully prescient.

Zach had MJ's winner over the Jazz. But first, we got a little video intro of Zach's life: Apparently, his "hipster" look isn't just for effect; his apartment is best described as "rocker-sty." No, not "style," just "sty."

Anyway, he was appropriately hysterical for an appropriately hysterical play. Tony nicked him for doing it how Zach thought a play-by-play guy would do it, rather than an original Zach interpretation. Kit liked his enthusiasm. My Man Al thought maybe he was a little too loud in the lead-up.

Aaron went next, but before he did the Titans' 1990 Music City Miracle, we learned something about him spending time at the driving range, signing golf balls.

So he set up the moment nicely, but Tony hit him for using the trite phrasing "Music City Miracle" (exactly: Like the play-by-play guy would have had that ready for the moment!). Kit thought it was okay. Al got him on using the phrase "final score," when in fact, there was still a few seconds left to play. Exactly: In that game, anything could have still happened.

Maggie had that Jeter backhand to get Giambi at the plate, from the ALDS a few years ago. But before that, we learned that she's the toast of Brown University.

Her highlight delivery had her trademark great energy, but her writing wasn't nearly as solid as it was last week. Al agreed with me, and at this point, I think that maybe he and I should have the TV show. Tony was right on when he pointed out that her ad-libbed answer to Stu Scott's "How'd-you-do?" question after her highlight was finished was BETTER than anything she actually prepared in advance. Tony's "trust your instinct" was advice that could work for anyone watching, too.

Kirk Gibson was feeling Mike Hall's delivery, too.

The segment wrapped up with Mike, who's just so darn earnest in his taped intro/montage, I'm surprised that some cuddly fabric softener didn't join Labatt Blue as a show sponsor.

His classic highlight was Kirk Gibson's World Series home run, and -- I have to say -- Mike was more solid than any of the others (but, in hindsight, maybe I'm projecting). Al had the best comment of the segment, noting that Mike's voice broke a little during the segment. (Oh, let me say it, Al: Mike's got the Peter Brady thing going. I expect him to break out in "When It's Time to Change" any time now ...)

Having survived some of my favorite sports moments forever adulterated by the interpretation of reality TV contestants, the foursome moved on to the next segment: a mock version of PTI with Tony -- and "mock" is probably the right word.

Thank god that Tony was involved, and it was a great reality (TV) check that he and Michael Wilbon have something special going on.

Each contender got two questions to debate with Tony, and I wish I could say that any of the contestants were terrifically cogent. But Tony's the master -- he actually was the star of the segment, doing a great job trying to help the contestants put together an argument. What ended up happening, however, was usually Tony asking questions and the contestants' answering them too quickly. Tony had the line of the segment, comparing debating Maggie to debating his daughter. Now THAT would be a show: "Pardon the Parenting."

The highlight of the segment was a short interlude when each contestant got $1,000 from Visa to go spend on themselves. I kept waiting for one of them to hit the ATM and cash that puppy out, but instead Mike and Aaron went to buy new suits (probably figuring they could re-sell them on the street if things didn't work out) and Zach and Maggie spent their money on what appears to be the most expensive facial and haircut, respectively, in TV history.

Finally, we get to the end of the first hour, and the judges are charged with cutting the four finalists down to a pair, who will ultimately be judged by fans.

Tony ranked Aaron best in the PTI segment and Mike best in the highlight segment, which apparently was enough, because he cut Maggie and Zach -- but not before floating the notion that he'd hire Zach for the network in a second.

Kit kept Zach, but also cut Maggie (though -- like fans at home -- noted Maggie's dramatic improvement over the weeks). Down to Mike and Aaron, she cut Aaron because he was less consistent than Mike.

Hey, Most Improved Player honors ain't bad.

And, now, the biggie: Super-judge Al Jaffe. Al gave Maggie the "most improved player" award, which is saying something. But he also gave her the boot, which spoke a little louder. He lauded Mike and Aaron for their talents -- but also pointed out that they were similar in style. So what would he say about Zach, whose style is, to put it mildly, unlike Mike and Aaron? To paraphrase, Al didn't see Zach as a SportsCenter anchor, which is right on target.

So there it is: The two biggest personalities left (not to mention the most improved over six weeks) -- Maggie and Zach -- were given the boot, lumping them in with the rest of the DJ exiles (who, by the way, were sitting in the studio audience. Quick digression: You'd think that they were from Las Vegas Real World, the way they were hugging and loving each other ... and that's not even counting "showmance" couple Mike and Maggie. Hope they have the names of good therapists...heard there's been an epidemic of "post-reality-TV-contestant-let-down" going around.)

Stu asks Mike and Aaron for one word each to describe how they're feeling:

Aaron: "Surreal."
Mike: "Disbelief."
Me: "Bleccchh!"

To kick off the one-on-one comp, Mike and Aaron engage in a Jeopardy-style sports-knowledge quiz. Based on previous Dream Job sports-knowledge quizzes, the only way someone's going to win is if they are awarding points for blank stares. It's a good thing the show isn't called "Sports-Trivia Knowledge Job." (And it's not like they were being asked esoteric stuff: "Who won the 2004 Rose Bowl?" ain't exactly "What was the team OPS of the Blue Jays Single-A farm team in 1995?")

The final challenge was a doozy: A full-on SportsCenter anchor experience, complete with co-anchor (Karl Ravech and Linda Cohn), interview with a superstar athlete, breaking news and the teleprompter going down.

Let's make this easy and concentrate on that last one, because -- to me -- that's the best indicator of the overall package.

Mike, known throughout the competition for his deer-in-headlights looks, actually handled the prompter melt-down better -- maintaining eye contact with the camera and offering up a smooth intro to the highlights, even if you could kind of tell he was b.s.'ing.

Aaron kept glancing down at his notes, and as the viewer, I ended up concentrating a lot more on that than what he was actually saying.

Another telling moment was the interview: Mike interviewed Peyton Manning. Before it started, I said out loud (to the TV, of course), "You better ask about Eli!" I was worried, but Mike's final question was, yes, about Peyton's brother.

Aaron interviewed Carmelo Anthony. I had the same talk-to-TV moment: "You better ask about Syracuse losing in the NCAA Tournament!" Aaron completely whiffed -- missed the whole topic. Would it surprise any of you that My Man Al Jaffe made the same comment? I want to put Al on my IM Buddy List and consult with him on all my day-to-day events.

After some dramatic build-up -- okay, a few commercial breaks ... but, hey, there's got to be time for viewers to vote! -- it was time for the final reveal:

Confetti and a handshake from Stu, Mike Hall has plenty to celebrate.

With 60 percent of the vote ... Aaron got the boot, leaving a stunned Mike Hall as the winner.

So what happened? Was it viewers voting FOR Mike or AGAINST Aaron? I thought more about this than one probably should.

Aaron was smooth -- really smooth. I guess I wonder whether fans were turned off that he was TOO smooth?

But I don't want to take anything away from Mike: He was a lot less polished than Aaron, and I think that actually resonated with fans, who appreciated Mike's enthusiasm; he was, by far, the most happy-go-lucky of the contestants.

In short, Mike was more likeable -- and I think that, if nothing else, fans want their sports news from someone they can see sitting across the couch from them, talking about what happened tonight.

That's the last lesson of Dream Job, of course: The judges were great, and their input and analysis were huge factors; but, ultimately, it's people like us -- just sitting on the couch -- who determine what makes a great SportsCenter anchor.

If only we got paid for it ... now that would be a Dream Job.

See you next season for "Dream Job 2."