3 A.m. In Bristol

Kenny Mayne led off last Friday morning's SportsCenter by introducing his cohost, "tennis aficionado Brian Kenny." Mayne's reference was to the long shift Kenny worked to get Andre Agassi—Pete Sampras Australian Open highlights on the show. "Our 7 a.m. shows are repeats of the 1 a.m. show," says Kenny, "but when the two best players in the world begin a match at 3 a.m. our time, we want to have the results for you."

Kenny's day began around 7 a.m., when he helped his wife, Nicole, get their five children off to school. He arrived at ESPN's Bristol studios that afternoon and began writing for the 1 a.m. SportsCenter. "We taped a lead-in to the morning show after the 1 a.m. show," says Kenny, "so Kenny could go home. Then the crew and I went over to our cafeteria to watch the match."

The five-setter ended shortly after 6 a.m. EST At 6:35 a.m. Kenny taped a highlight segment, reporting the results off-camera—"so no one would have to see my 5 a.m. shadow." The show opened with Agassi's victory, and it appeared that Kenny and Mayne were in the studio. In fact, Mayne had hit the pillow hours before, and Kenny had just arrived home, where, to give Nicole a few more winks, he assumed the family's car-pooling duties. "That's a shift for the single guy," Kenny said wearily last Thursday afternoon, "but my wife loved sleeping in. She's going to volunteer me for this duty when the Sydney Olympics start."