Mike Greenberg’s little verbal mistake *

I’ve always wanted to claim some relation to Mike Greenberg—maybe there is some distant relation—because the guy’s pretty awesome. But boy did he have quite the slip of tongue today when referencing the MLK holiday on “Mike and Mike in the Morning.”

You can hear it in the above clip. Turn the volume up. As they came back from commercial, Greenberg welcomed viewers back on this “Martin Luthern Coon—King Jr. holiday.” It sounds like he accidentally combined “King” and “junior,” and the verbal misstep is being received as plainly that. Still, I’m reading on sports blogs that an explanation is in order:

Nothing in Greenberg’s history shows that he intentionally meant to do it, but an explanation and apology is needed and it is needed immediately. I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He appears to be a very nice guy and there has never been any hint of controversy surrounding him to my knowledge.

So an apology would be enough for me.

More at You Been Blinded.

*Updated: Here’s that clarification from Greeny:

I just came home from the Knicks game and found out about the mess that was created by my garbling a sentence on our show this morning;  I apologize for not addressing it sooner.

And I’m sorry that my talking too fast - and slurring my words - might have given people who don’t know our show the wrong impression about us, and about me.

I feel horrible about that, because nothing could be further away from who I am and what our show is about.

I would never say anything like that, not in public, or in private, or in the silence of my own mind, and neither would anyone associated with our show, and I’m very sorry that my stumble this morning gave so many people the opposite impression.