'Sad Dog' Phones In Good Bye to FANs

After being told by WFAN that he could not have a farewell show, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo found his way onto the air yesterday with an emotional twenty-five minute phone call to co-host Mike Francesa. Francesa said he took matters into his own hands by bucking station brass's wishes and bringing Russo on to discuss the conclusion of the Mike and the Mad Dog program with Russo's announced departure Thursday night. During the call, the always colorful Russo broke down in tears.

Other highlights of the final show included phone calls from Governor Paterson and Russo's father, who asked Francesa if he was still welcome as a regular caller. Francesa at one point said someone compared the end of the show to breakup of the Beatles, adding that the person "considered him the John Lennon of the team." Over in the NY Post, they have articles today criticizing both hosts: Francesa for his arrogance in the wake of Mad Dog's departure and Russo for his fixation on being able to find a contract that offered him more money than his longtime partner.

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By Billy Parker in Arts & Entertainment on August 16, 2008 6:05 PM

Comments [rss]

jeffersonjackson

twenty five minute call from russo???

it was like 5 minutes...10 at most. he called in at the TWENTY FIVE MINUTE MARK of the show.

i enjoyed their show and i'm interested to see how things pan out for them from this point on.

TKaisen

#2: Meh, I understand where Dog's coming from. If my name was on the marquee with the other guy and we both started at the same time, I'd be kinda ticked off, too.

Kevin Walsh

"MIKE'S HIGHER PAY IRKED RUSSO"

I can honestly care less what my friends or co-workers make. Possibly that makes me an exception.

But, when the figures get high, apparently so does the jealousy; so many athletes and performers want to negotiate or renegotiate contracts based on what teammates or the competition makes.

You want a salary that is comparable to what others in your field are making. But I can say pretty honestly that, if I'm a bigtime radio star like Dog, if Schmedlap, the morning man, is making $7 million and I'm making $5 million, and my ratings are better, I'm not making a fuss, really.

I like Mushnick, who makes a lot of sense, especially about Francesa, easily the most pompous voice on the radio.

www.forgotten-ny.com

trotskie

When the day comes that I read Francesca or Russo's obit, I will think back to the times those two morons made me laugh when I was stuck in traffic.

When I stumble across Mushnick's I will vaguely recall a miserable, misanthropic proto-troll.