Mike and the Mad Dog: Finito

Almost all of my hobbies are pretty geeky.  I play video games, read fantasy novels, watch sci-fi movies.  But I did have a solitary non-geeky hobby, listening to sports talk radio.  Well, one sports talk radio show in particular, Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN. 

Now, sports can be geeky.  Look at how the sabermetrics movement uses mathematics and statistical analysis to measure performance in baseball.  And the whole fantasy sports thing is pretty geeky when you think about it.  It’s basically an online multiplayer game.  Of course, when I first played we had to read the newspapers for results and get our standings in the mail.  But it was still a geeky game. 

But Mike and the Mad Dog hated fantasy sports.  They despised sabermetrics, preferring to rely on factors such as “heart” and “intangibles” and “momentum” in their analysis.  They both firmly resisted any new technology, often talking about “the intahnets” as if it was a foreign country.  I think finally Mike learned how to read news stories off of a webpage but I don’t think Dog even got that far.  They would break out these giant, dusty books to look up a statistic I could have found in seconds on the web.  Even their studio in Astoria looked archaic, like something out of a radio museum.

Despite all of that, I loved them.  I won’t say Mike and the Mad Dog (Mike Francesa and Chris Russo) invented sports talk radio.  But they definitely popularized it, dominated it and led the way for others.  They had national influence while still remaining a decidedly local, New York phenomenon.  They were great at what they did.

For more information, I think this New Yorker piece is the best article on the boys I’ve ever read.  Their Wikipedia page has a good history with plenty of their defining moments.  And this hilarious post from Bill Simmons of ESPN does a great job of getting the feel of an actual show across.

For nineteen years the boys ruled the sports talk airwaves, getting as great ratings this year as they ever did.  Nineteen years is a long time.  Think about it - Duke Nukem Forever was announced in 1997 and look what’s happened since then.  But Mike and the Mad Dog have been doing their show since 1989.  That’s the same year the Sega Genesis was released in North America.  That’s a long time.  And the amazing thing is, nothing has really changed since.  Nothing.  Producers, engineers, and station managers have come and gone and a parade of guests has passed through the studio.  But the Mike and the Mad Dog show is still just Mike Francesa and Chris Russo talking sports, doing interviews and taking calls.  For nineteen years Chris has opened the show with his crazy “Aaaaaaannnnddd…good afternoon everybody!  How are you today?”

I remember listening to the show in it’s first year when I was lifeguarding as a summer job.  I lost them for four years in college, but every time I drove home I’d reach the point where 660 WFAN would come in clear and I’d know by the sound of their voices I was almost there.  I was thrilled to hear them in the background while watching Bad Lieutenant.  In law school I would tune in on the drive home.  Every time I’ve taken a trip, when I catch a cab back from the airport, the driver invariably has Mike and the Mad Dog on the radio.  And when you hear that, you are really back in New York. 

When they started simulcasting on the YES cable channel, I started recording their shows.  And most nights I’d relax by watching some of that day’s radio broadcast.  Sometimes for a half hour, sometimes for the full five and a half.  It was that entertaining that with all the options I had available, I’d sit there and watch the television broadcast of a radio show.  I’ve been with them since Chris was single and living in a apartment in the city.  Now he’s got kids and a house in Connecticut.  I’ve been with Mike since the break-up of his first marriage, the start of his second and the birth of his twins. 

Sure, they had their flaws.  Mike can be arrogant and condescending to callers.  Chris murders the English language worse than any broadcaster I’ve ever heard, struggling with names, mispronouncing common words, mixing metaphors beyond belief.  But together, they were something special.  Chris played the wild, emotional role to Mike’s knowledgeable straight-man.  They managed to make the hours breeze bye, they loved what they did and, more than anything else, they truly cared about sports.  As their jingle said “They’re talkin’ sports, goin’ at it as hard as they can!”

And now it’s the end of an era.  It was announced last night that Mad Dog has been released from his WFAN contract and is leaving the show.  Mike signed a multi-year deal to stay with the station.  Speculation is that Mad Dog will go to Sirius radio.  Mike will continue in the same WFAN slot with a show called “Francesa on the Fan.”  Here are some stories of the split: Newsday, Times, Daily News, Post.

Neil Best of Newsday actually reported that there was trouble back in June.  At that time, it seemed like Mike was the one more likely to leave.  Chris addressed the reports on the air (transcript here).  He admitted the duo had experienced some serious fights, including an argument over whether or not Don Nelson should be in the Hall of Fame.  Think about that for a second.  That’s how much they care about this kind of stuff.  But the two had done shows together since then and everything seemed like it might be okay.  Then came this sudden break - not even a goodbye show for the Dog.  “Finito!” as he would say.

There had always been issues.  The two fought like crazy back in the old days.  I thought they had really mellowed with age.  Of course, Dog was probably put off by the fact that Mike loved to play the role of power-broker at WFAN and was reportedly paid more.  And Mike probably didn’t love Dog’s Letterman appearances, during which Dave never missed a chance to bash Mike. 

I don’t know if we’ll ever know the real story for the split.  Was it the official story that Russo wanted new challenges and wasn’t prepared to sign a long-term deal?  Was it the personal problems the two had?  Was it a power-play Mike made behind the scenes?  I don’t think it was purely money, as overnight host Steve Somers implied last night. 

Whatever the reason, I blame Mark Chernoff, the operations director at the FAN.  When the station lost Imus (who I never listened to) they were already hurting.  His directive as director, his one mission in life should have been to keep Mike and the Mad Dog together at all costs.  It was a golden goose, an advertising bonanza.  If the issue was money, it should have been happily paid.  If it was a personal issue, he should have worked it out between the two by any means necessary.  There are always creative solutions and Chernoff let a worse case scenario happen.

But what’s done is done and we’ll still be able to hear Mike on the FAN.  And, when Dog resurfaces, we’ll be able to hear him as well, even if it means getting a satellite radio.  I’ve heard them on their own plenty of times.  Each does a solo show when the other is on vacation.  And they’re enjoyable: Chris often gets “goofy” and bemoans dealing with his kids while trying to get some tennis in.  Mike can do incredible extended monologues and manages to tell a great story.  But I always found myself eventually missing the other host and was glad when they rejoined the show.

Mike is a diehard Yankee fan and Chris hates the Yanks.  It’s crazy to think that for the first time in over a decade the Yankees might not make the playoffs and he won’t be there to gloat about it.  That kind of dynamic is what made the show so amazing.  Sometimes they would veer off sports entirely to discuss their beloved Sopranos or a biography of President Truman.  But I never minded.  Of course, some of their greatest moments are what can be described as tirades.  I’ve put together a few YouTube links.  I think even if you’ve never heard the show you’ll appreciate these:

Mad Dog’s famous “One Time!” rant. (Also known as: I’d give up my kids for a Giants World Series.)

Mike goes off on “Jim” the technician.

Mad Dog calmly expresses his opinion on Pacman Jones.  (Bonus: absolutely brilliant imitation clip).

When it comes to sports, the boys put their opinions above their personal political beliefs.

My personal favorite is Mad Dog’s tale of Smarty Jones getting ”tracked down” but I couldn’t find that one.

I’m taping Mike’s solo show on YES today, as I always do, and I look forward to seeing what he has to say.  I’ll really miss the duo working together.  It was comforting to know that no matter what happened during the day, these two would always be there doing their usual thing.  But nineteen years is a long time and I wish them the best of luck in their new pursuits.  I thank them for the countless hours of entertainment they have provided me over the years. 

And I’m not the only one that will miss Mike and the Mad Dog.  The callers and listeners from all over must be feeling the pain.  Check out this forum thread on the unofficial Mike and the Mad Dog forums.  I’ve read those boards before and, sure, the posters love collecting Mad Dog’s mispronunciations.  Sure, they love mocking Mike’s incessant drinking of Diet Cokes and the imperious hand-waves he uses to silence a caller.  But as much as they poke fun, most truly love the show.  The fact that the thread is now 52 pages is a testament to that.  Even though the boys weren’t a big fan of “the intahnets” or “dah bloggahs,” we loved ‘em anyway.