MIKE & MIKE

THE BIG QUESTION:
Young stars and airtight playoff races have already made this NHL season one of the best ever. Why don't the Mikes care?

GOLIC I like hockey and am happy to talk about it, but it's death for our listeners. If you start to talk about it on a radio show, people will turn the dial.
GREENY Here's the big problem: If Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby walked into a bar in any city in which they don't play, how many people would recognize them? Now ask that question about any other major sport's stars.
GOLIC That's not a criticism, either. It's just reality. The popularity of today's sports hinges on the recognizability of their athletes. Unfortunately for hockey, it has lost some of that.
GREENY The NHL has a loyal group of fans who love the sport. What it doesn't have is casual fans. People who aren't that interested in golf will watch when Tiger is playing. People who aren't interested in football will watch when Tom Brady is playing. Hockey doesn't have a star who brings people to the television. They just have hard-core fans, and in this era that's not enough to make you a major player.
GOLIC Part of it is the complexity of the game. A casual viewer can flip by football, basketball or baseball and know what's going on. That's not always the case with hockey.
GREENY I always use my wife as a barometer. She doesn't have a sophisticated understanding of most sports, but she will watch them. Thing is, if Sidney Crosby walked into our house, my wife wouldn't know who he is. She's the type of fan every sport wants. The challenge is to capture her interest, and hockey doesn't do that.

THE MIKE'S ON … HOOP HYPE

GOLIC The next time the East will be relevant is the start of the NBA Finals. The race in the West is ridiculous. I've never paid such close attention to every single night's games.
GREENY And the Hornets are the feel-good story of the year. They have a chance to become America's team once they get into the playoffs.

PREDICTIONS SURE TO BE WRONG … MLB MANAGER OF THE YEAR
GOLIC Joe Torre, Dodgers. I have LA going to the World Series.
GREENY John McLaren, Mariners. The M's will be surprisingly good, and that all but ensures their manager wins this award.

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