Chris Russo
The Voice of New York Sports, Mike and the Mad Dog, Is Done
![Chris "Mad Dog" Russo and Mike Francesa in 2007](http://origin.observermediagroup.com/files/imagecache/article-teaser/files/mikemaddog081508_0.png "Chris "Mad Dog" Russo and Mike Francesa in 2007")
The most famous sports radio talk show ever, Mike and the Mad Dog, is done. Chris Russo announced Thursday night that he wouldn't return to WFAN and his co-host, Mike Francesa, will now host the 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. slot on WFAN by himself.
On Thursday night, pundits on outlets like SNY and WFAN were talking about how Mike and the Mad Dog "revolutionized" sports talk radio. This isn't true. No one ever followed the Mike and the Mad Dog lead. Russo and Francesa, both Long Island natives, had voices constructed for a street corner, not a radio show. read more »
Mike Francesa Speaks Incoherently About Future of 'Mike and the Mad Dog'
So just what is the future of New York's most famous radio sports-talk show, Mike and the Mad Dog?
We don't really know, either! Newsday reported last month that Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo were on the verge of splitting up after two decades on the air together. Both Mike and Chris have kept mum about it, and earlier this week Mike finally went on the air to talk about it ... but rather elliptically. As wonderful as Mike Francesa is--and he is wonderful--sometimes the pressure of speaking on the air for six hours a day can make someone sound slightly confused. read more »
Are Mike and the Mad Dog About to Split Up?
The future of the city's best radio talk sports show ever, Mike and the Mad Dog, is in jeopardy. Newsday's sports media reporter, Neil Best, reported Sunday that the two oddball hosts of the show, Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, are on the verge of splitting up and it's unlikely that both will be on WFAN to celebrate the show's 19th anniversary this September. The reasons why aren't entirely clear, but apparently the two are fighting.
For sports fans, life without Mike and the Mad Dog is a little like imagining baseball without the Mets. Since the late 1980s, they've scored the biggest interviews and have had the most influential voices of any sports reporters or broadcasters in the city. For WFAN, the wound could run particularly deep: about year after losing their morning show, Imus in the Morning, they could lose their drive-home show too.
In the Shadow of Shea
We'll have some Day Two news for you in a moment. In the meantime, here's a shot from yesterday of a couple of fans taking a break from the tennis to listen to Chris "Mad Dog" Russo talking Mets-Phillies.
