In college, me, Steve and Patrick would watch the same SportsCenter weekday mornings for hours before, during and after class. It didn't matter that we'd seen every highlight, heard every soundbite and all of the witty quips by the anchors. Is the show addictive? Yes. As Darius Rucker (Hootie) said on the bookjacket: "How did we ever watch sports highlights before Dan and Keith?"

The Big Show gives a hilarious and informative look at what happens behind the scenes at SportsCenter, the foundation for ESPN. If you haven't seen it, the name "The Big Show" was coined by Keith Olbermann when he tag-teamed with Dan Patrick as the key anchors of the network. Olbermann has since departed, trying his hand in the news trade on MSNBC where you can see his liberal views every night on "The Big Show", a title obviously borrowed from his popularity on the sports network.

The book is even more interesting for me, being an employee of the television business. But any fan of the show or sports enthusiast will get as much out of what goes on behind the scenes and the mindset of Dan and Keith.

The partners write back-and-forth in the book (readers can decipher which by the font used for each). Topics include an explanation of the terms used on the Center that have become everyday language for sports fans, such as "Frozen Pizza" or "You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him!"

There is also a timeline of events leading up to the Big Show which includes:

"April 5, 1992: Keith debuts with Dan on 11 p.m. ET SportsCenter."
"April 6, 1992: Keith, exhausted, accidentally verbalizes his thoughts on the length of the program. 'Damn Dan, this is one #&*%@ big show."
"August 11, 1995: Dan's three-year-old son, Jack, asks his mother what the word 'testicle' means. She explains 'It's the clinical word for balls.'"
"September 30, 1995: Dans asks son Jack what he wants for upcoming fourth birthday. Jack answers 'golf clubs, a golf bag and some testicle.'"

When the reader goes through the in-depth volume of a typical day at the office, it's clear that it's not all fun and games as sports fans think (which I could have told you myself after working at The Jackson Sun). There's a lot of calls, writing and stress to get a show organized, all of which could be null and void when the highlights begin and something goes wrong.

How do you get to be a sportscaster? First and foremost, have great writing skills. Writing skills to read sports? Yep. On camera presence is great and all, but it will get you only so far unless you can write stories and have a working knowledge of all sports. And you think television work is glamorous? Well, forget a 9 to 5 job, eating dinner at home with the family, kiss you holidays good-bye and don't expect much in terms of salary. Also, be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices, such as moving around a lot, stating in small markets across the country.

But Dan and Keith know when to have fun, too, because sports is fun and games. The pair give their opinions on sports-related matters such as if Pete Rose should be inducted in the Hall of Fame (Dan yes, Keith no), Keith's section condeming the greed of owners and their lust for new stadiums, Dan's complaint that athletes are blamed for the wrong things. Lastly, Dan and Keith provide their favorite athletes, as well as their favorite games they attended.