Mike Greenberg's HILARIOUS Story From His First Ever SportsCenter Appearance

Mike Greenberg had one story queued up as his best, and it ends with him getting mistaken for another anchor entirely.

It starts in August of 1996, when Greenberg was hired at ESPN and put through the usual apprenticeship of sitting in meetings, watching, and listening. By October, six to eight weeks in, they finally put him on the air for a 30-minute SportsCenter at 6:00 on a Saturday evening alongside Larry Beil.

The debut itself went fine. Beil welcomed him, Greenberg thanked him and promised to tell everyone about himself another time because there were 60 minutes of highlights to fit into 30. As Rich noted, who you did your first SportsCenter with was a big deal back then, the kind of detail anchors remembered. Beil was Greenberg's first. Rich had his own version of that rite, debuting with a line about how he has a lot of fun at parties.

The real story came after the show. Greenberg's then-girlfriend Stacy had flown in for the occasion, and the two went out to celebrate at a restaurant in Farmington, Connecticut.

The waiter recognized the moment immediately. "I'm a big fan of ESPN. I'm thrilled to have you here," he told Greenberg, who could hardly believe it. "I've done one show for 30 minutes," Greenberg remembered thinking. "I can't imagine how famous I'm going to be being on ESPN."

The treatment escalated from there. Food kept coming. Greenberg was the VIP to end all VIPs, the guest of honor at his own breakout dinner.

Then the check arrived, and with it the punchline. "I just want to say, Mr. Levy, it's been an honor having you here," the waiter said.

The waiter thought Greenberg was Steve Levy.

"I swear on my life that is a true story," Greenberg said. And he wasn't offended in the slightest. He admitted that if you look back at old pictures of him and Levy, the resemblance was stunning. Being mistaken for Steve Levy, in his estimation, is not a bad thing at all.

So the first SportsCenter ended with a celebration dinner, a starstruck waiter, and Greenberg quietly accepting a compliment meant for someone else.