Neil Best on his Watchdog blog at Newsday provides highlights of Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s appearance on the Howard Stern Show today. Sirius/XM, the satellite platform that both Stern and Russo broadcast on was crushed on Wall Street today on word that the company may file bankruptcy.
Russo left the highly rated Mike and the Mad Dog show on WFAN last August. In the interview Stern was able to get Russo to admit that he’s been able to book better guests than his partner, including landing an inteview with Bill Parcells who Francesa alludes to having a close personal relationship with and that ratings for the show have declined since he left.
Russo said he is attending spring training, while flying first class, and hasn’t been told to cut back on any expenses despite Sirius/XM’s fiscal troubles.
Francesa responded to Mad Dog’s statements saying his relationship with Parcells has soured recently, and made a strong statement in regards to Russo or anyone else beating him in the ratings.
“As sure as I’m sitting here, they’re never catching me, and you can underline that, OK? So the idea that they’re chasing me down in Jersey or they’re chasing me down somewhere, well, you know what, bring friends and ban everybody you can ban and bring a whole lot more ammunition than you have so far, because you have never gotten close, and you never will, as long as I’m sitting here.”
“Maybe someday after I’m gone, but not while I’m sitting here. You can take that to the bank, you can quote it, you can hang it up in their offices and in the Sirius offices. Because as Yogi once said, you could look it up.”
“If you’re going to come after us, then you better bring more than pea shooters. Because you know what? The FAN has been No. 1 here for 20 years and it’s going to be No. 1 long after I’m gone. But while I’m sitting here, you can be damn sure it’s going to be No. 1.”
Francesa said he got the sense that Russo is rooting against him.
“The idea Dog’s rooting against me, he made that pretty clear today. That’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that. And the idea that he’s rooting for ESPN, that’s good, too. They need his help. They need him and a whole lot more before they’re going to catch me, OK?”
Read more of Francesa’s response on Neil Best’s Watchdog blog for Newsday.
Pete Lappin (3)
