Mike & Mad Dog reunite -- for 20 minutes
Mike Francesa, left, and Chris Russo in the radio booth doing their "Mike and the Mad Dog" show on remote from Yankee Stadium on Oct. 11, 2006. Credit: Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill
INDIANAPOLIS -- Radio Row at the Super Bowl usually produces news from the people being interviewed, but Tuesday, the big story was an impromptu reunion of Mike Francesa and Chris Russo.
Russo, whose Sirius XM set is close to Francesa's here, was standing near the WFAN table at around 1:40 p.m. when Francesa invited him to come on.
What followed was a 20-minute reminder of their 19-year run together from 1989-2008, a frantic, wide-ranging catching-up session that covered everything from the basketball fortunes of Russo's son, Timmy, to the dire near future of the Mets to Bobby Valentine joining the Red Sox to the movie "Moneyball."
At one point, Russo yelled: "This is like old times! I'll stay for five hours."
It was their first such on-air reunion since Russo went on Francesa's show and vice versa during the 2009 ALCS. Francesa returned the favor again Tuesday night by appearing on Russo's show.
After Russo left to do his own show at 2 p.m., Francesa told Newsday during a commercial break, "I said, 'You're going to be in the [TV] shot, so you might as well sit down.'
"It was fun."
Then he referred to the inevitable talk of a permanent reunion and said: "It happens every time we sit next to each other. It's always done. It never ends."
Francesa recently told Newsday he is leaning toward leaving WFAN when his contract runs out in early 2014. Russo's contract with Sirius XM runs through late 2013.
During their time together on Radio Row, Francesa and Russo attracted a small crowd of onlookers, some of whom applauded when they were done, following one last hug.
