ESPN's Mike Golic said he almost decided to "just move on, head out to Arizona and retire” before finding out he would be partnered with Trey Wingo and his son on a new morning show, according to Hannah Withiam of the N.Y. POST. The finale of "Mike & Mike" is tomorrow, and the new "Wingo & Golic" radio show -- which will be simulcast on ESPN2 from 6:00-10:00am ET -- launches in two weeks (Nov. 27). Golic said of the new program, "I still love doing it, I still love talking sports. So like I said, I changed teams a few times in the NFL, so it’s the same game I’m playing, just with different teammates.” While Golic said that he "still doesn’t understand ESPN’s decision to break up a 'pretty successful' show and wishes the fallout had been handled differently," he added that he and co-host Mike Greenberg "made it out unscathed." Golic said that "being upfront with each other during those months in the spotlight ... was the key to overcoming the swirling negativity" (N.Y. POST, 11/16).
BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: Golic said of wrapping up "Mike & Mike" after 18 years, "It's kind of weird because there hasn't been a ton of emotion. For the last few months, I've been preparing for the next show." He added, "Honestly, when I first heard they were splitting us up, I was highly disappointed. I didn't understand why. There's still part of me that still doesn't understand it. But, I'm an employee, I don't get a say. You accept it and go on to the next thing, but I was very surprised. It's been a pretty successful show for the company, but, again, I'm not paid to make those decisions." Golic said that his relationship with Greenberg is "fine." Golic: "The most disappointing thing to me is when you hear former people that worked on the show talking anonymously about behind the scenes things. That aggravated me a lot. Greenie and I are fine. We're going to go off on our separate ways. We never lived close to each other anyway, our kids aren't the same age. So, we were never in the position to hang out a lot anyway" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 11/15).
KEEP IT LIGHT: WEEI.com's Alex Reimer wrote during the life of "Mike & Mike," the show has been a "soft landing ground for athletes and sports newsmakers alike." It is one of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's "preferred outlets, presumably because he's allowed to speak the party line and remain unchallenged." The show was "largely used as a promotional vehicle for Disney that allowed ESPN to have its footprint in every major radio market throughout the country." The show’s ratings "didn’t seem to matter, as long as segments were sponsored and headaches were avoided." Though Golic and Wingo will have "less instant name recognition, the transition will probably be seamless." Maybe the one hour with Mike Golic Jr. will even "send them over-the-top" (WEEI.com, 11/15).
