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Number Two: More Short Tales from a Very Tall Man
From the twisted and juvenile mind that brought you the national bestseller Anchorboy comes another rollicking collection of embarrassing stories that’ll make you laugh, cry, and feel just a little bit uncomfortable.
Get ready for more story time with everyone’s favourite Canadian sportscaster, Jay Onrait! Pull up a chair, open a bag of ketchup chips, and join Jay as he reminisces about the times he explored the squalid world of medical marijuana; made a mess of himself on the road to Pittsburgh; waited three hours to see 2 Live Crew in Edmonton; rode a Street Dragon through the laneways of Sochi; got bumped from live TV for Rob Ford; and shared a drink with Jay-Z . . . and was then asked to leave.
You’ll find all this and more of the same inside Number Two by Jay Onrait. READ IT!!!
Get ready for more story time with everyone’s favourite Canadian sportscaster, Jay Onrait! Pull up a chair, open a bag of ketchup chips, and join Jay as he reminisces about the times he explored the squalid world of medical marijuana; made a mess of himself on the road to Pittsburgh; waited three hours to see 2 Live Crew in Edmonton; rode a Street Dragon through the laneways of Sochi; got bumped from live TV for Rob Ford; and shared a drink with Jay-Z . . . and was then asked to leave.
You’ll find all this and more of the same inside Number Two by Jay Onrait. READ IT!!!
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 27, 2015
6 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 28, 2015
Picking up where he left off with 2013’s Anchorboy, Onrait brings us the aptly titled Number Two, a book with more essays about bathroom misadventures, travelling to an Olympics host city and the wonders of being a Canadian ex-pat living in the U.S.
Did anyone ask to hear about Jay’s masturbation stories (the very first line in the book is a funny one)? How about his violent diarrhea? Probably not. However, Jay had me laughing out loud as he recounted his several mad dashes to the bathroom as he tried his absolute hardest not to defecate all over himself. It goes to show you’re never too old to appreciate toilet humour.
If you were a fan of his first book, a regular listener of Jay’s podcast with Dan O’Toole, or love watching old clips of the duo from their TSN days, you’ll enjoy Number Two. There’s some great stuff in here about Jay’s turbulent book tour for Anchorboy (bumped off programming for Rob Ford’s crack cocaine confession) as well as his and Dan’s bizarre trip to Sochi in 2014 that will leave you chuckling.
There’s no sign of slowing down on Onrait’s part and if he decides to pen a third, I’ll welcome it gladly. Number Two is the perfect book to enjoy in small doses, probably while on the can.
Did anyone ask to hear about Jay’s masturbation stories (the very first line in the book is a funny one)? How about his violent diarrhea? Probably not. However, Jay had me laughing out loud as he recounted his several mad dashes to the bathroom as he tried his absolute hardest not to defecate all over himself. It goes to show you’re never too old to appreciate toilet humour.
If you were a fan of his first book, a regular listener of Jay’s podcast with Dan O’Toole, or love watching old clips of the duo from their TSN days, you’ll enjoy Number Two. There’s some great stuff in here about Jay’s turbulent book tour for Anchorboy (bumped off programming for Rob Ford’s crack cocaine confession) as well as his and Dan’s bizarre trip to Sochi in 2014 that will leave you chuckling.
There’s no sign of slowing down on Onrait’s part and if he decides to pen a third, I’ll welcome it gladly. Number Two is the perfect book to enjoy in small doses, probably while on the can.
January 4, 2019
Jay Onrait's second book picks up right where his first venture, Anchorboy, left off with uprooted Canadian sportscasters, Jay & Dan, moving to America to work for Fox Sports. If you enjoyed Anchorboy, you will love Number Two just as much. If you didn't like Anchorboy, and don't enjoy Jay & Dan's humour, then I have no idea why you would even think about reading this book.
Hilariously well-told escapades from Jay's desire to obtain a California medical marijuana card, to his book tour for Anchorboy, and my favourite, the stories from their trip and coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Of note, from both Anchor Boy and Number Two, I would say that Jay portrays himself to be completely off the cuff, without any real goals, and in some ways that may be true, but you can also tell that he has worked on a lot of projects that require quite the opposite, including writing, and selling, two books. That just might be the genius of their comedy, from their former show, Fox Sports Live, to their new show back in Canada on TSN, SC with Jay & Dan, to their Jay & Dan Podcast, to these two books by Jay. They appear to operate without structure or plans, but continue to be successful in their delivery.
Obviously, I'm a big Jay & Dan fan, so this read was a no-brainer for me. This book was published at the end of 2015 and their show in the U.S. lasted for another year and a half after it was published but since has been cancelled. Jay & Dan have returned to Canada and to TSN and their new SC with Jay & Dan since late 2017. Their demise at FS1, subsequent return to Canada, including another Olympics adventure, this time to South Korea sound like good material for a third installment?
Hilariously well-told escapades from Jay's desire to obtain a California medical marijuana card, to his book tour for Anchorboy, and my favourite, the stories from their trip and coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Of note, from both Anchor Boy and Number Two, I would say that Jay portrays himself to be completely off the cuff, without any real goals, and in some ways that may be true, but you can also tell that he has worked on a lot of projects that require quite the opposite, including writing, and selling, two books. That just might be the genius of their comedy, from their former show, Fox Sports Live, to their new show back in Canada on TSN, SC with Jay & Dan, to their Jay & Dan Podcast, to these two books by Jay. They appear to operate without structure or plans, but continue to be successful in their delivery.
Obviously, I'm a big Jay & Dan fan, so this read was a no-brainer for me. This book was published at the end of 2015 and their show in the U.S. lasted for another year and a half after it was published but since has been cancelled. Jay & Dan have returned to Canada and to TSN and their new SC with Jay & Dan since late 2017. Their demise at FS1, subsequent return to Canada, including another Olympics adventure, this time to South Korea sound like good material for a third installment?
November 30, 2023
Would give 3.5 stars.
Overall good. I hate reading physical copy books so i was annoyed by that at the end. I think it was worse than his first book because it felt like you learned less about him in this one. That being said, still lots of funny moments throughout. For lack of a better word, some of the stories in this one just werent as compelling…. at least for me…. there were certainly some really awesome stories though (Jay-Z, Sochi, to name a few). I think I got a bit tired of his self deprecating humour and wouldve been ok with him recognizing his status and success a little more, be cocky! Overall he is genuinely hilarious, his knowledge of people in the world of media is seemingly bottomless and constantly had me googling names to have associated faces.
Overall good. I hate reading physical copy books so i was annoyed by that at the end. I think it was worse than his first book because it felt like you learned less about him in this one. That being said, still lots of funny moments throughout. For lack of a better word, some of the stories in this one just werent as compelling…. at least for me…. there were certainly some really awesome stories though (Jay-Z, Sochi, to name a few). I think I got a bit tired of his self deprecating humour and wouldve been ok with him recognizing his status and success a little more, be cocky! Overall he is genuinely hilarious, his knowledge of people in the world of media is seemingly bottomless and constantly had me googling names to have associated faces.
January 18, 2018
Another hilarious, light read from Jay Onrait.
November 9, 2017
More focused and tightly constructed than its predecessor, Anchorboy, Number Two ups the ante with even more stories about Onrait's now famously sensitive digestive tract, along with foibles, gaffes, road trips, pranks calls gone awry, and the Sochi Olympics. I eagerly await a third book detailing his leaving FS1 and Los Angeles and returning to the Canadian airwaves.
February 12, 2016
This is the second installment from Jay Onrait, hence the title (although it is also a scatological reference as well). It is an amusing book that is largely made up of stories on his timeline following Anchorboy. It would fall into the autobiographical category, but it is by no means a part II of his biography. Rather this book is a collection of stories.
I enjoyed this book as it reminded me of sitting around listening to old timers spin yarns about their younger selves. However, Jay Onrait is not old enough to be an old timers, but the analogy stands. What I found interesting is that this book seemed far more geared to his fans from his TSN days, and not his fans from FS1. The reason I say this is that almost all his stories are about Canada in some way. Even his Sochi stories with the FS1 crew, seem geared toward Canadians. That isn't to say that Americans should not read this book, but there are places, people and other things that unless you are very knowledgeable about Canada, you may not understand. Being a Canadian this was a fun book about some of the places and people in this country.
The reason I deducted a star from the right is what I referenced above. Yes Jay Onrait appears to have some bowel issues, but it doesn't need to be referenced in every single chapter and feature many stories about poop. I have no idea whether this is something his is known for in the US, as Canada does not get FS1. But I am not 5 and poop is not funny really.
I actually learned something from this book and it made me sad. One story is about the time he was on CTV's The Social. What I learned is that the famous studio for MuchMusic, where I spend many a day watching bands and hosts through the window, is now the studio for The Social. I no longer live in Toronto and have not been to the CHUM/CITY Building (299 Queen Street West) in many years. It saddens me that this once bastion of music culture has been turned into the studio for a vapid, Canadian version of The View.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who was amused by Jay in his time at TSN. His FS1 fans will enjoy this book, but as I mentioned may be befuddled at the Canadianisms in it. Overall, give it a read but do not expect this to be a behind the scenes at FS1 or anything.
I enjoyed this book as it reminded me of sitting around listening to old timers spin yarns about their younger selves. However, Jay Onrait is not old enough to be an old timers, but the analogy stands. What I found interesting is that this book seemed far more geared to his fans from his TSN days, and not his fans from FS1. The reason I say this is that almost all his stories are about Canada in some way. Even his Sochi stories with the FS1 crew, seem geared toward Canadians. That isn't to say that Americans should not read this book, but there are places, people and other things that unless you are very knowledgeable about Canada, you may not understand. Being a Canadian this was a fun book about some of the places and people in this country.
The reason I deducted a star from the right is what I referenced above. Yes Jay Onrait appears to have some bowel issues, but it doesn't need to be referenced in every single chapter and feature many stories about poop. I have no idea whether this is something his is known for in the US, as Canada does not get FS1. But I am not 5 and poop is not funny really.
I actually learned something from this book and it made me sad. One story is about the time he was on CTV's The Social. What I learned is that the famous studio for MuchMusic, where I spend many a day watching bands and hosts through the window, is now the studio for The Social. I no longer live in Toronto and have not been to the CHUM/CITY Building (299 Queen Street West) in many years. It saddens me that this once bastion of music culture has been turned into the studio for a vapid, Canadian version of The View.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who was amused by Jay in his time at TSN. His FS1 fans will enjoy this book, but as I mentioned may be befuddled at the Canadianisms in it. Overall, give it a read but do not expect this to be a behind the scenes at FS1 or anything.
February 19, 2016
Another fun set of stories from broadcaster Jay Onrait both from growing up, making his way through his early broadcasting career to all they way up to now at FOX Sports. I might've actually enjoyed this one more than the first, but either way the stories are all amusing at the very least. Onrait's humour works quite well through a book form and even squeezes in some emotional beats and lessons learned through the humorous tales which provides a nice cap to a lot of them.
October 10, 2016
Another great, if sometimes crass, collection of tales about life in Canada and the United States from one half of the legendary former TSN SportsCenter crew. Loved watching Jay and Dan O'Toole when I was in Canada six years ago, and their podcast remains one of the funniest on the internet. Think of Onrait's second book as an extension of that. If you love poop stories, hockey, CFL and sports broadcasting, you'll love this book. Good fun!
May 10, 2016
More stories about poop A+ 10/10
December 16, 2015
Not as good as the first book. Crude at times.
May 16, 2016
It was a good read that led to a few laughs. it's a little over the top / crass in parts but after listening to the Jay and Dan podcast for a few years it was to be expected.
February 11, 2025
Review for Number Two can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.
March 13, 2016
Even better than his first book.The 2 Live Crew story is freaking hilarious.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews