Adios to Mike and the Mad Dog

I'm going to pour one out on the curb for Mike and the Mad Dog sports radio program, as Chris Russo left the show and radio station WFAN.

Since 1989, Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo have been doing their schtick since 1989, taking over weekday afternoons in the place of Pete Franklin, who forever will be an moron in my mind for his idiotic comment after a news break providing an update on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and shooting of unarmed students, flippantly encouraging people to "go out and buy an eggroll" as as sign of support. 

The Mike and the Mad Dog show opened with Russo shouting "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY!!! HOW ARE YOU TODAY???"  They knew their sports, and you could always count on some good back and forth arguments.  Russo, an avid San Francisco Giants fan, was a member of the anti-Yankees "Crack Committee", and thoroughly enjoyed sparring with Francesa, who was a devout backer of the Bronx Bombers.  Some people I know have mentioned that they've grown to dislike the show, feeling that both Mike and Chris have steadily gotten more and more antagonistic, pompous, and condescending towards callers to the show that dared to disagree and not genuflect in the shadow of their greatness.  I tend to agree with this, though I think they've actually gotten a little more listener-friendly in recent years.

I have a special place in my heart for this radio show, as it really was a staple through high school as I sat at my desk each afternoon and poured through Calculus, Earth Science, Global Studies, Physics, and Chemistry homework.  There's nothing that kills brain cells like balancing formulas and developing proofs, so I'm really glad I had the chance to hear Mike and Chris debate about topics such as Will Clark's merits as an MVP candidate while I plowed through the drudgery of high school busywork.