Mike and the Mad Dog show (Not Done!) (2 Viewers)

[Righetti]

I really don't get the hate for these guys. I'm thinking it's more of "it's cool not to like them" type of feeling then anything else. When they are on they are funny together, they get just about anyone the show that you could ask for as well.

agreed

 

[Raider Nation]

I really don't get the hate for these guys. I'm thinking it's more of "it's cool not to like them" type of feeling then anything else. When they are on they are funny together, they get just about anyone the show that you could ask for as well.

They are at their best - by FAR - when they're not talking sports.I love when they critique a new movie or a Sopranos episode, and when Mike reminisces about Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn etc.

 

[EZD222]

so who would you reccomend listening to (if you don't have sirius/xm)? The hacks on 1050 like Kellerman and Steven A? I'm down in the Philadelphia and 950 and 610 are completely unlistenable. I don't mind Mike and the Mad Dog. There outdated, but the humor me and they do get some stellar guests.

 

[Peter_Griffin]

so who would you reccomend listening to (if you don't have sirius/xm)?

White noise

 

[Righetti]

Back on the Air... and as good as ever

 

[RBM]

Huge love-fest

 

[Righetti]

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog...o_has_left.html

Neil Best says Russo is gone

 

[Righetti]

Newsday.com

Chris "Mad Dog" Russo has left WFAN

BY NEIL BEST

neil.best@newsday.com

7:17 PM EDT, August 14, 2008

Two weeks shy of its 19th anniversary, the "Mike and the Mad Dog'' show is no more.

WFAN announced early Thursday evening that Chris Russo is leaving the company, making Mike Francesa the sole host of the popular afternoon drive time show.

"Mike and Chris pioneered the genre more than 18 years ago and have shaped the sports talk format into what it is today," WFAN operations director Mark Chernoff said in a statement.

"As we embark on this next step in WFAN's history, we wish Chris nothing but the best and look forward to all that Mike will do in a role in which he has excelled at for years.''

Chernoff said he did not know where Russo was headed, but he is expected to land at Sirius Satellite Radio.

The announcement of Russo's departure coincided with the announcement of a new contract for Francesa, whose deal was believed to be expiring around the end of the year.

For now, he will be the sole host of the show, including Friday. But over time new elements might be added.

Newsday first reported June 22 that the partners likely would part this summer.

 

[Righetti]

confirmed on NYDailyNews.com

 

[Popinski]

I'm sure Francesa's ego played a large role in this; he probably felt Russo was holding him back as he didn't have Francesa's knowledge or analytical ability. While probably true, Russo was absolutely integral to the show. As the years have gone by and the show had continued to deteriorate, the (at times, unusual) chemistry between the two became the primary reason listeners kept tuning in.

Neither will do as well solo; Russo, who may be headed to Sirius, will likely fall flat on his face. Francesa at least will get a chance to maintain his audience base, but his monotone, cocky style will lose some of that base. Maybe the Francesa of 20 years ago that actually kept up with sports would do well solo; but not this one who still relies on the Daily News for his sports news.

 

[Righetti]

I kind of like the idea of Benigno joining Fatso../ Although the audience loves MadDog, he really knows nothing about anything other than Tennis and Baseball.. Maybe the thought is to get a guy who can have full conversations about all sports with Fatso.

 

[Kiddnets]

Russo was a buffoon but at least he was amusing ticking off the NY fans - now we can look forward to Yankee baseball being discussed all year long -

Favre to the Jets? Let's talk Yankee losing streak

Opening NFL Day - 4 day analysis on Joe Girardi vs Joe Torre

Jet playoff game - Yankee day that week

NBA/NHL - what? Hot stove talk 24/7

I actually called the show last year to try to talk some football/NBA and the screener told me no thanks that they were concentrating on baseball for now and hung up on me - so they actually turn away callers who want to talk other leagues.

Thank God for NFL Sirius! Russo would be fine on that channel.....

 

[Kiddnets]

I kind of like the idea of Benigno joining Fatso../ Although the audience loves MadDog, he really knows nothing about anything other than Tennis and Baseball.. Maybe the thought is to get a guy who can have full conversations about all sports with Fatso.

If I remember - even though Mike was instrumental in Joe getting his job - he turned his back on him after Joe went nuts (rightly so!) after the Jets 1997 Detroit debacle - the guy let Ray Lucas throw 2 third down passes and Joe had a heart attack overnight - I would rather listen to Joe any day!!!!

 

[RBM]

Very depressing. Been listening to these two clowns since day 1.

Afternoons will never be the same.

 

[Sweet Love]

Very depressing. Been listening to these two clowns since day 1.Afternoons will never be the same.

Their discussions of the NJ Devils going to the finals in 1995 (first time I turned on the channel), hooked me on talk sports radio. The one thing I noticed when I left the NY market in 1999 and started listening to 850 The Buzz in Raleigh and Sirius NFL radio in 2005 is that callers had to bring their A game or they were let go very quickly. Some of these other stations let any baffoon with a telephone just ramble on about nothing.

 

[Deepster]

As a Mets and Jets fan in CT? I haven't listened to this show in about 5 years. Francessa makes it unbearable because they simply do not allow for any back and forth between them and the callers. It's the callers with a question or opinion and then WFAN hangs them up while Mike cuts their opinion to shreds.

Overrated show.

If you're a Yankees fan? Mike knows a TON about the history and players. If you're not? No reason at all to tune in. Good riddance.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Wow. I thought when Mike came back from break everything was normal. Between the 2 I like Mike more so I'm not sad to see Chris go but the show was the best when the two of them went at each other.

Say something funny Mike!

Bye Dog.

 

[Koya]

Lets face it, most true NY sports fans, especially of my generation (30-40 years old) have a real love hate with these guys.

That said, Mad Dog was always more likeable. Because Dog, even in his name, knows it's shtick... he played that up and played many an overly fanatic caller along the way. His knowledge is, well, lacking - but his personality is what made that show. It was his foil that made the pompous, arrogant bloatard Mike listenable.

I could never listen to these guys for hours at a time, but I also had to get my fill of some M and the MD until they grated on me for the day... only to turn right back in later in the day.

A sad day for those of us that lost what may have been a love hate relationship, but a relationship that saw us grow up as sports fans and as people.

 

[Koya]

Ugh, 5+ hours of Fat and the Fat Fat. While I could take some M&TMD for a while, mike alone is unlistenable after 10 min.

 

[DCThunder]

RIP Fruit Loops. (Did anybody call him that other than the I-Man)?

 

[RBM]

I think Mike was sincere in that segment. He looks very down.

Mad Dog says goodbye, up now.

 

[RBM]

See ya Doggie

 

[Rebirtha]

Bummer.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Solid editorial about Russo leaving

http://deadspin.com/5037574/salud-chris-russo

 

[Mystery Achiever]

Wow, I'm going to start crying, too, soon. Chris broke down totally , Mike has been close to it at least twice already, and now Chris's father is on crying a little asking Mike if he can still call the show.

It is amazing they stayed together so long. Who stays in a job that long these days?

 

[Popinski]

Clip of Russo breaking down:

 

[biggamer3]

Mike is coming off real sincere

 

[Raider Nation]

Longtime M&MD tormentor Phil Mushnick weighs in...

OK, so maybe it wasn't always for the best reasons, but Mike Francesa and Chris Russo still had a good run - a great run, even - and for nearly 20 years. Hell, for better and worse, they made radio history. Like Burns and Allen, Klavin and Finch and Bob and Ray, Francesa and Russo - no longer together after WFAN let Russo go Thursday - together changed the course of radio. They were the first nationally known team in the history of sports talk radio. It's a forever fact.

So what if they got along like Martin and Lewis? And so what if they benefited from a media market - the world's largest - that could never provide genuine competition?

Though WFAN in large part was saved by "Imus in the Morning," it relied upon Mike and the Mad Dog for everything else. And now both shows, 16 months apart, are gone.

Twenty years ago, Russo was buying weekend air-time on WMCA, sending tapes to sports media critics, eager for ink, hungry to make something happen. And for all his knee-jerking and brainless defamations and butchered pronunciations and ability to get lost in an elevator, he made it happen.

And we're told Sirius, bless its brainless bankroll, will pay Russo $3 million to rant about things he has, in almost 20 years, proven he knows little about. Good work, if you can get it.

If Howard Stern hasn't yet crushed AM or FM radio, neither will Russo.

That Russo long felt that he was treated with less intellectual and financial regard by WFAN than Francesa became a self-fulfilling reality. His deferments to Francesa's most specious opinions and flip-flops, his steady indulgence of Francesa's delusions of grandeur, became standardized.

Russo became Ed Norton to Francesa's Ralph Kramden. And now Norton's on his own.

A new gig for a half of a history-making team may guarantee a lucrative future but not a successful one. As a Sirius host or working from a telephone booth, Russo lacks the capacity to be much more than another forced sports radio act, another holler guy.

Warts and all, Francesa, still aided and comforted by a paucity of legitimate competition, will remain a habit-formed listen here for however long he remains.

But together, and for nearly 20 years, Francesa and Russo made history. They made a whole lot something out of what previously existed as nothing.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

Clip of Russo breaking down:

THey're going to replay this and Mike's opening at 6pm.

 

[jamny]

I haven't listened to them in a few years since getting Sirius but they really were pioneers of the industry.

Good luck Dog.

Say something funny Mikey.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

Well, this is apparently big news up my way. Front page headline in my local paper today: "Mad Dog's Tough Day."

He lives in the adjacent town and gave a pretty extensive interview; know the author.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_1022079...rce=most_viewed

 

[Giantseasonticketholder]

Good Riddance. Mike and Commericals is really getting boring. Can't wait for the Jets fans to call in to complain about Franceser not talking about their team.

Maybe we'll get a little more hockey on now too!

 

[Raider Nation]

Anybody listening to Fatso today???

My God. Non-stop about his own greatness, and how he's been wronged by everyone...

From what I've heard so far, Russo is ***FAR*** better as a solo act than Mike.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Anybody listening to Fatso today???My God. Non-stop about his own greatness, and how he's been wronged by everyone... From what I've heard so far, Russo is ***FAR*** better as a solo act than Mike.

No, but I'm listening to Russo & he's already put his foot in his mouth about 20 times in two days. I've always thought he's entertaining, but I can see how he drives people crazy.What exactly is Mike saying?

 

[Giantseasonticketholder]

Anybody listening to Fatso today???

My God. Non-stop about his own greatness, and how he's been wronged by everyone...

From what I've heard so far, Russo is ***FAR*** better as a solo act than Mike.

There is no way this is true. Dog is awful and knows nothing about anything. Mike is awful, but at least he knows something.

 

[Raider Nation]

Anybody listening to Fatso today???

My God. Non-stop about his own greatness, and how he's been wronged by everyone...

From what I've heard so far, Russo is ***FAR*** better as a solo act than Mike.

No, but I'm listening to Russo & he's already put his foot in his mouth about 20 times in two days. I've always thought he's entertaining, but I can see how he drives people crazy.What exactly is Mike saying?

I'll let Mushnick tell you. He heard the show too.

Doesn't matter if they're alone, together or alone together at the same time on the radio, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, to paraphrase both Brian McNamee and Popeye - only one escaped the Mitchell Report - "They is what they is." Before his Sirius XM debut had ended Monday, Russo provided the unfamiliar with a good idea of the character of the character. Derek Jeter, the day before, had reached Lou Gehrig's Yankee Stadium hit total, an accomplishment Russo belittled as meaningless. Later, with Joe Torre on, Russo declared it a super achievement.

Yes, America, that's standard Chris Russo. His strongest convictions are based on mostly bad and visceral guesswork, thus the courage of his convictions is worth two minutes or two cents, whichever comes first.

But as long as radio rewards provocateurs, the kind who can stir the blood of fools, Sirius XM made a good, albeit pricey hire.

Tuesday on WFAN, Francesa, now truly the One and Only, calmly snapped. He spent 40 minutes complaining that while Russo and his new gig were getting all the media attention, he'd received only unfair treatment by those who reported on their split. He claimed that no one had asked for his side of the story.

Does that mean that the story he repeatedly told on the air - the one about how they were often at war but genuinely liked each other, prospered together, and now, after 19 years, Russo had a nice opportunity, thus it was time for buddies to split - wasn't true? Would Francesa have provided a different tale, on the record, had he been asked off the air?

Francesa added that everything he has touched, with or without Russo, turns to ratings gold. Even his Sunday morning NFL radio show, he said, is No. 1 - with the exception of, he conceded, broadcasts of Spanish-language church services.

And Francesa said that bad reporting had badly underestimated the money he makes. But Tuesday, having given himself the opportunity to provide his eye-popping salary, he didn't (although he hinted that The King's counting room is darned near out of room).

Francesa repeated that he didn't want to come across as egotistical or jealous. He didn't. He came across as egotistical and jealous.

And then he took calls from listeners who pledged their allegiance to him, calls from those who declared their admiration and affection - even if at least one, conditioned to the Francesa treatment, was moved to beg, "Please don't cut me off."

 

[Giantseasonticketholder]

Anybody listening to Fatso today???

My God. Non-stop about his own greatness, and how he's been wronged by everyone...

From what I've heard so far, Russo is ***FAR*** better as a solo act than Mike.

No, but I'm listening to Russo & he's already put his foot in his mouth about 20 times in two days. I've always thought he's entertaining, but I can see how he drives people crazy.What exactly is Mike saying?

I'll let Mushnick tell you. He heard the show too.

Doesn't matter if they're alone, together or alone together at the same time on the radio, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, to paraphrase both Brian McNamee and Popeye - only one escaped the Mitchell Report - "They is what they is." Before his Sirius XM debut had ended Monday, Russo provided the unfamiliar with a good idea of the character of the character. Derek Jeter, the day before, had reached Lou Gehrig's Yankee Stadium hit total, an accomplishment Russo belittled as meaningless. Later, with Joe Torre on, Russo declared it a super achievement.

Yes, America, that's standard Chris Russo. His strongest convictions are based on mostly bad and visceral guesswork, thus the courage of his convictions is worth two minutes or two cents, whichever comes first.

But as long as radio rewards provocateurs, the kind who can stir the blood of fools, Sirius XM made a good, albeit pricey hire.

Tuesday on WFAN, Francesa, now truly the One and Only, calmly snapped. He spent 40 minutes complaining that while Russo and his new gig were getting all the media attention, he'd received only unfair treatment by those who reported on their split. He claimed that no one had asked for his side of the story.

Does that mean that the story he repeatedly told on the air - the one about how they were often at war but genuinely liked each other, prospered together, and now, after 19 years, Russo had a nice opportunity, thus it was time for buddies to split - wasn't true? Would Francesa have provided a different tale, on the record, had he been asked off the air?

Francesa added that everything he has touched, with or without Russo, turns to ratings gold. Even his Sunday morning NFL radio show, he said, is No. 1 - with the exception of, he conceded, broadcasts of Spanish-language church services.

And Francesa said that bad reporting had badly underestimated the money he makes. But Tuesday, having given himself the opportunity to provide his eye-popping salary, he didn't (although he hinted that The King's counting room is darned near out of room).

Francesa repeated that he didn't want to come across as egotistical or jealous. He didn't. He came across as egotistical and jealous.

And then he took calls from listeners who pledged their allegiance to him, calls from those who declared their admiration and affection - even if at least one, conditioned to the Francesa treatment, was moved to beg, "Please don't cut me off."

Mike took a shot at the printed press several times this week. Nothing to see here.

 

[Raider Nation]

GSTH.... Mike's agent???

 

[G5781]

Hopefully Mike and Mike are next.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Mike solo is damn near unlistenable

Dude's ego is even bigger than his ###, which is saying something

 

[Kiddnets]

Mike solo is damn near unlistenableDude's ego is even bigger than his ###, which is saying something

Gotta say I agree - Dog was a buffoon but he kept Mike grounded. They are tough to listen to as solos - think it was the perfect mix that just won't work alone. Luckily they already got paid! My only must listen to is Joe Benigno after a crushing Jet loss!

 

[Raider Nation]

Mike solo is damn near unlistenableDude's ego is even bigger than his ###, which is saying something

Gotta say I agree - Dog was a buffoon but he kept Mike grounded. They are tough to listen to as solos - think it was the perfect mix that just won't work alone. Luckily they already got paid! My only must listen to is Joe Benigno after a crushing Jet loss!

I am really liking Doggie's solo show thus far.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Mike solo is damn near unlistenableDude's ego is even bigger than his ###, which is saying something

Gotta say I agree - Dog was a buffoon but he kept Mike grounded. They are tough to listen to as solos - think it was the perfect mix that just won't work alone. Luckily they already got paid! My only must listen to is Joe Benigno after a crushing Jet loss!

I am really liking Doggie's solo show thus far.

Haven't heard Russo solo as I don't have satellite radio, but I have heard a wide range of opinions on itI don't think it could be worse than Mike's solo show though

 

[Righetti]

best show in probably 2 years..

Mike and Joe Benigno is fantastic.. I really hope they keep these two together..

Benigno described earlier today how he gets to work at 5am (his show starts at 10am) because he is so neurotic. Fatso was eating it up..

what a great show today

 

[Mystery Achiever]

best show in probably 2 years..Mike and Joe Benigno is fantastic.. I really hope they keep these two together..Benigno described earlier today how he gets to work at 5am (his show starts at 10am) because he is so neurotic. Fatso was eating it up..what a great show today

So, did Joe pull a double shift? That's a long time to talk even for him.I listened the other day when Jones and Carlin were on. THought that went okay. Kim is more up on many players than Mike is.I hadn't listened for a while before this week; has he been having "full show" guests on regularly?

 

[Topes]

Benigno in prime time? WTF? He used to be the overnight guy.

I used to hear him when I drove a truck down to the city.

I'd be flipping back and forth between him and Art Bell, depending on who was on commercial break.

That is, as soon as Bell or Benigno came on the air, I'd flip to the other station, hoping for a commercial.

 

[Righetti]

best show in probably 2 years..Mike and Joe Benigno is fantastic.. I really hope they keep these two together..Benigno described earlier today how he gets to work at 5am (his show starts at 10am) because he is so neurotic. Fatso was eating it up..what a great show today

So, did Joe pull a double shift? That's a long time to talk even for him.I listened the other day when Jones and Carlin were on. THought that went okay. Kim is more up on many players than Mike is.I hadn't listened for a while before this week; has he been having "full show" guests on regularly?

Evan went solo from 10-1.. Sounds like WFAN is trying out combos.. They had Mike with Eddie C, Mike with Continent and Jones and now Mike with Joe B..today's show has been great, Benigno is totally nuts and it works really well with Mikey's straight edge thing

 

[Autumn Wind]

Mike will fight tooth and nail to not be paired up on a permanent basis. It will take a big ratings dip for the station to force his hand.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

today's show has been great, Benigno is totally nuts and it works really well with Mikey's straight edge thing

Joe has grown on me a bit. Just a bit, though. I can see him as a foil for Mike, but I could see Mike losing patience with him.

 

[Koya]

Mike will fight tooth and nail to not be paired up on a permanent basis. It will take a big ratings dip for the station to force his hand.

This wouldn't surprise me. I dont know how they figure ratings, but I know a LOT of casual-good listeners (not die hards) such as myself have stopped listening, or only listen a few minutes a day.Couple that with an AWFUL morning show because of Carton, and I actually have my bathroom boombox now set on 1050 as opposed to WFAN (no presets).