Just got word that Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is leaving WFAN after what I think is 20 years of teaming with Mike Francesca on the Mike and the Mad Dog Show. There had been rumors swirling about these two no longer seeing eye-to-eye and that one or both were going be leaving the ‘FAN. The latest buzz has Russo going to Sirius radio with Francesca going solo.
While I have bitched and complained about both these guys (mainly in the context of Giants’ football), I will miss listening to the duo. I’ve been tuning in for all 20 years at various times depending on what job I was working, despite what I consider some obvious dislike toward the Giants since about the middle of the Jim Fassel era. They openly showed their dislike for Strahan, Shockey, and Tiki, with some of it warranted. But Russo, in particular, would go out of his way to root against the Giants and really bring a negative context when talking about the team. Sure he hates the Yankees too and even had a band of callers who backed him, but that was done in a much different tone. With the Giants, you got the impression he really didn’t like the players. In fact, in the last three Super Bowls that the Giants played in during his time on WFAN, he predicted blow out losses for the Giants in each. Enough said.
Good or bad, after a Giant win or loss, I would always make time to tune in to see what these guys were saying. They just didn’t take calls, but had top personalities on and did great interviews. The show was always entertaining, whether you agreed or disagreed and that’s why I listened. Missed pronunciations of words, twisting of names, and uncontrollable rants aside, I will miss Russo, and the show as a whole.
In my best Russo impersonation, “Goooooooooooooooooood night, everybody!!”
