Kenny Mayne, who is preparing his ESPN farewell after 27 years at the network, has announced which guests will appear on his final SportsCenter next Monday. The star-studded group will be headlined by three-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers (who, presumably, will address his Packers future for the first time since Adam Schefter’s bombshell report on the eve of last month’s NFL Draft), WNBA legend Sue Bird, former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford and of course, frequent collaborator Marshawn Lynch.
You may be noticing a theme—three of the four guests have at least some connection to Mayne’s native Seattle (Crawford is from there while Bird and Lynch both played for Seattle-based teams). However, Lynch’s relationship with Mayne started long before “Beast Mode” rose to stardom with the Seahawks. Mayne covered Lynch during his rookie season with the Bills in 2007, joining Lynch for a memorable tour of Buffalo’s nightlife (which consists mainly of chain restaurants), debunking the misnomer put forth by Willis McGahee, who dismissed the city as a lifeless pit with little in the way of entertainment.
Among their many conquests together, Mayne and Lynch downed Crispy Fiesta Wrappers and unlimited fountain drinks at Applebee’s (where the running back ate at least a dozen of his meals during the Bills’ bye week), got their arcade fix by playing pop-a-shot and racing games at Dave and Busters (which reminds Lynch of his sport idols Buster Douglas and Dave Concepcion) and even engaged in a scholarly discussion on Beethoven (“Who is Bate-hoven?”). Years later, America is still wondering if it’s the décor or the ambiance that keeps bringing us back to Applebee’s.
Mayne and Lynch would team up again in 2015, appearing in a Progressive commercial skewering the Pro Bowler’s aversion to granting post-game interviews.
Given their history together, whatever the two cook up for Mayne’s finale next Monday should be highly entertaining. Who knows, maybe they’ll even share one last meal together at Applebee’s, for old time’s sake.
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