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Editor's Note: The crew from Mike & Mike has had many memorable moments in eight and a half years of the show. They've been providing the top guests from the biggest events and shared some funny moments along the way. But there might have been no five-day stretch bigger than July 12-16, 2008. Photo Gallery

Mike & Mike producer Scott Shapiro took it all in and follows with a blog about what he calls "the greatest week in the show's history."

Greatest Week In Show History

Saturday, July 12

New York, NY: It all started on Saturday night in Central Park in the heart of New York City. Jon Bon Jovi took the stage at 8 p.m. on a picture-perfect night. The weather could not have been better. Bon Jovi started off with a bang, electrifying the crowd with a rendition of his signature hit, "Livin' On A Prayer."

Just as the concert was coming alive, I was presented with an opportunity to move from deep within the 60,000-plus in attendance to the very first row. No, this was not made possible because I possessed a lucky ticket... it was merely luck by association! I attended the concert with a group of 10 and among them was Yankees' play-by-play voice and 1050 ESPN New York's Michael Kay. After nearly every security official recognized Kay, we were escorted to the stage to watch the remainder of Bon Jovi's performance. And he certainly put on a show.

After two hours of continuous hits, Bon Jovi told the crowd that the city would not allow him to play past 10 p.m. as there were many residences nearby. The concert could have gone on for three more hours as far as I was concerned, but it was hard for anyone to complain after enjoying 120 minutes of non-stop entertainment.

Sunday, July 13

Bronx, NY: On to Yankee Stadium for the All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game. And talk about the celebs being represented -- Billy Crystal, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, and George Lopez, just to name a few. In terms of Baseball Hall of Famers, there was a who's-who, including Ernie Banks, Ozzie Smith, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Gary Carter, Tony Perez, Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers.

Thanks to Mike & Mike's involvement as the in-house PA announcers, I got to ride their coattails and spend the game in one of the Yankee Stadium dugouts. While Mike & Mike did a superb job of calling the action for the thousands in attendance, they did not fare quite as well at the plate in their roles as DH's. Crystal completely stood in Greeny's way from having a banner afternoon.

In Greeny's first at-bat, he hit a roller to short that Crystal easily fielded and flipped to second for a fielder's choice. Crystal again retired Greeny in his second at-bat by virtue of catching a weak pop-up (or in Greeny's words, his "sharp line-drive"). While Greeny went 0-for-2, Golic's performance was even worse. He found a way to completely embarrass himself!

Golic swung and whiffed at softball pitches both times he was up. In his first at-bat, he couldn't even hit the ball in play. Golic hit a little looper that Hall of Famer Catcher Gary Carter caught behind the plate without needing to move. After whiffing at yet another pitch in his second at-bat, Golic hit a scorching grounder to third, but the Hall of Famer Molitor made a fine play to his left to retire him.

The thrill for me throughout the softball game was being in the dugout. Just sitting in the Stadium dugout provided me with plenty of joy, but being surrounded by all of these Hall of Famers and celebrities was more than a wide-eyed 28-year-old could ever ask for.

All of the celebs and Hall of Famers were quite pleasant and polite. Just as I was taken aback by being on the field at such a historic venue, many of the celebs were in awe to be playing ball in the House that Ruth Built. For each of them, you could sense their childlike pride coming out. It was a delight to witness this event, especially in the grandest of seat locations.

After the softball game, it was time for event No. 3 in the Mike & Mike Pentathlon live from Yankee Stadium. Up until this point, the pentathlon was tied at one apiece with Golic winning H.O.R.S.E. and Greeny taking ping-pong. But the opportunity that was presented to us for the third event was rather special -- running the same bases that Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and even Cecil Fielder ran!

So the foot race was on... whoever clocked in with the best time would gain the pivotal third event and take the inaugural pentathlon lead. My sole task in this mess was to serve as the official time keeper for the race. Easy enough, right?

Greeny lost the coin-toss and ran first. He got off to a good start but took a wide turn between second and third base. I clocked him in at 19.29 seconds as he crossed the plate. Golic came up knowing the time he had to beat. He huffed-and-puffed his way around the bases, lost a little steam down the stretch, and clocked in at a time of 19.33 - only four one-hundredths worse than Greeny. Was this really possible? Did these two idiots somehow manage to tie?

I immediately decided that it wasn't possible and blamed myself. I'm not a professional time-keeper mind you. I figured that I must have timed the whole thing wrong and pushed a wrong button at the wrong time. But after the folks in Bristol scientifically timed the race just to double-check, my times were proven to be accurate. Greeny won by the slimmest of margins but refused to take the victory because it was just too close. And allow me to point out that nothing about this was fixed. Greeny and Golic managed to run the bases in essentially the same time. Talk about strange Yankee Stadium karma!

Monday-Tuesday, July 14-15

New York, NY: Time for my day job -- the actual shows! And what better place to put on the show than the middle of where hundreds of thousands of commuters walk each day -- Grand Central Station. Talk about exposure. We were fortunate to have great broadcasts leading up to both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game.

Among our guests that joined us on-set from Grand Central were Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. Unfortunately, Wycelf Jean had to cancel his live performance on the show after losing his voice on Sunday evening. Nevertheless, both shows captured that big-city feel leading up to a mega-event -- the MLB All-Star Game.

Bronx, NY: Long after the show ended on Monday, I found myself back at Yankee Stadium for the Home Run Derby. I had been to HR Derbies in the past and was looking forward to this year's only because it would serve as one of the last signature events at Yankee Stadium. I spent about a half-hour on the field behind the batting cage watching the All-Stars take their last cracks.

My plan all along was to leave the Derby after the first round so I could see each of the sluggers bat at least once. On my mind of course was my 3:30 a.m. wake-up call for the following morning's show. But wow, am I glad that I stayed as long as I did! It was a rather ho-hum evening at the ballpark until the event's final hitter, Josh Hamilton, dug in at the plate.

Hamilton's story is such a tremendous and inspiring one considering he overcame multiple drug addictions. On this night, he was fulfilling a dream of participating in the Derby at Yankee Stadium. Just to see him walk towards the plate was enough of a moment for the near 60,000 fans in attendance. But fortunately, Mr. Hamilton had more on his mind than just simply being there to participate.

The reformed slugger put on an electrifying display of landmark home run after home run. It was like seeing a Hollywood story evolve before my eyes. Never have I felt so proud for a person whom I had never met. Seeing an individual's dreams come true in front of this energized crowd was as enriching a feeling that I had ever had.

After he belted his 28th home run in the first round (20 more than the next best participant), all I could do was stand in utter amazement at a feat I never would have imagined. Hamilton had just rewritten the Yankee Stadium history books as he created one more incredible moment in a house that had seen so many.

Wednesday, July 16

Bristol, CT: One would assume that heading back home to Bristol would be a let down in a week of continued thrills. But not so fast. Mike & Mike were presented with the honor of launching ESPN Radio's 4th Annual Don't Give Up ESPYs V Foundation Auction. And what a worthwhile charity to be leading the cause for -- 100 percent of all donations to the V Foundation go directly towards cancer research.

We had many great experiences to auction off throughout the show. Our premiere item was the opportunity for Mike & Mike to broadcast an entire four-hour show from a listener's home -- TV cameras and all! We were thrilled to later report that two bids were made for this unique experience grossing $57,100 each. To raise the most possible funds, we decided to accept both bids and broadcast the show twice on the road.

After dedicating all four hours to seeking donations, ESPN Radio's V Foundation auction raised a cumulative total of $1,130,314! This figure far surpassed our grand total of $820,000 just one year before. To play a part in an event that raised over a million dollars for such a meaningful cause was truly a humbling and emotional experience.

Washington, D.C.: We had no choice but to rush to the airport directly following our V Foundation Auction. Next on the itinerary was a flight to the nation's capitol for our first ever visit to the White House. It's not everyday that you can assist in raising a million dollars for charity and then set foot within the White House just hours later!

The purpose of our White House visit was for Mike & Mike to serve as the honorary public address announcers for a wonderful afternoon of tee-ball on the South Lawn of the White House. Participating in the tee-ball festivities were one lucky child from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The first game featured kids from the Eastern region of the country vs. the Central region. The second game matched the Southern region vs. the Western region. There was one inning played in each game as every child was given the opportunity to bat once. No outs were recorded and the score was not kept. The sole objective for the tee-ball event in the President's words was for "players and fans to come together and celebrate this wonderful game." What a celebration the afternoon became.

Mike & Mike started off the festivities by introducing President Bush, the First Lady, Honorary Tee-Ball Commissioner Frank Robinson, and Kenny Chesney, who sang the national anthem. After the first tee-ball game was played, Mike & Mike welcomed back the President, Robinson and Chesney onto the field, along with the U.S. Postmaster General Jack Potter, as they together unveiled a brand new U.S. stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." As a group, Chesney led the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to the tee-ball crowd.

The major thrill for me was my seat location for the tee-ball games. I was seated two rows in front of President Bush and the First Lady, and one row in front of Chesney. Just being in the same zip code with these luminaries was an experience unlike any other. I certainly felt out of place, that's for sure! And somehow I wound up seated directly next to J. Thomas Schieffer, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. What a bizarre day this had already become.

After the game, I was a part of a small group including Mike & Mike to walk the President and First Lady from the tee-ball field to the White House. During the walk, the only topic discussed was "Mike & Mike in the Morning!" The President informed us that he loves the show, and that was music to our ears! There could not be a better compliment. The fact that the most powerful man in the world enjoys the product that I pour countless hours into everyday is an exceptional feeling.

Now onto the evening... and yes, the day somehow gets better. After chatting with President Bush and the First Lady for a second time, I now felt right at home (in the White House of all places)! The President hosted a reception celebrating baseball in the Rose Garden on what was becoming a perfect evening. Chesney was a surprise performer at the reception and delighted the crowd of Hall of Famers and baseball dignitaries with six songs.

I honestly had to pinch myself as the performance took place. Who was I to deserve the opportunity to sit in the Rose Garden of the White House and listen to a private performance from a Billboard superstar? The night was picturesque... the Washington Monument emerged from beyond the White-House gates, a nearby waterfall provided pure serenity, and the flowers in the Rose Garden formed a scene out of a work of art. When Chesney's performance concluded, the President took the microphone and said, "It doesn't get much better than this -- country music in the Rose Garden and celebrating baseball." Amen to that!

After the tremendous concert by Chesney, a small group of us were escorted into the West Wing of the White House for a private tour. And wow, was this tour special! We spent a good 20 minutes in the Oval Office learning about every nook and cranny... the significance of the rug, the blinds, the portraits -- you name it. We took notice that the President's desk was remarkably clean.

The one restriction was that we couldn't look at the phone on his desk. Why we weren't able to view the phone, I have no idea and may never know. Just imagine who the President has on speed dial on that baby! After visiting the Oval Office, we were also able to peek into the Cabinet Room and the Roosevelt Room as well.

Upon leaving the grounds of the White House just after 10 p.m. local time on Wednesday, we were left to ponder what shaped up to be the greatest week in the show's history. It all happened so fast.

Between being in the first row at the Bon Jovi concert, on the field at the Celebrity Softball Game at Yankee Stadium, our Grand Central Station broadcasts, the excitement of the Home Run Derby, raising over a million dollars for the V Foundation, and a day spent at the White House, I was emotionally spent! At no point did I take any of the week's activities for granted. Each moment was truly appreciated if not over-appreciated!

The reassuring feeling I had all along was that that it was worth every second of time that I poured into making this week's activities possible. If I could live through this week one more time and appreciate everything even half as much, sign me up immediately! It was certainly a week to remember.