Chris “Mad Dog” Russo has seen enough of Jason Kelce on ESPN. During Wednesday’s installment of “First Take,” Russo said he was “in one of the moods” before he went ballistic over Kelce’s role as an analyst on ESPN after his NFL retirement in March. “You’re gonna get mad at me. I’m gonna say it … Read more
Gregg Giannotti has come to John Sterling’s defense. Sterling, 86, will un-retire and return to the Yankees’ radio booth for the team’s 2024 postseason run, and his decision faced some detractors, including Mike Francesa and Chris Russo. Giannotti, who co-hosts morning drive alongside Boomer Esiason on WFAN, the Yankees’ flagship network, disputed the idea that … Read more
Mike Francesa has a dire warning for John Sterling about his Yankees comeback. Francesa and Chris Russo reunited on the latter’s SiriusXM program on Thursday to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the start of the legendary “Mike in the Mad Dog” run on WFAN’s afternoon drive. Earlier Thursday, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that the … Read more
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo had trouble deciphering exactly who passed away on Tuesday, mistaking Billy Bean, the league senior vice president for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for longtime Athletics general manager Billy Beane. “The word that we’re getting right now is that the general manager of the A’s, Billy Beane, may have passed away,” Russo … Read more
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo isn’t thrilled about being stood up by longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Mike Tirico. Russo explained that he had an interview with Tirico set for his SiriusXM show, but it was canceled after he made fun of NBC’s decision to air the opening ceremony at IMAX on ESPN’s “First Take.” After the … Read more
Sounds like The Mad Dog woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Up bright and early Monday, Chris Russo was one of many thrilled to watch the clash between two tennis greats – Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic – hosted at the Paris Games. However, tennis analyst Rennae Stubbs on the call apparently … Read more
The “Mad Dog” tore Paul Finebaum to shreds. On Wednesday, Chris Russo appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” alongside Finebaum and Harry Douglas, who were discussing USC head coach Lincoln Riley, with the former WFAN host strongly backing the Trojans’ football boss. Finebaum, though, said he considers Riley and the Trojans to be a “disaster” through … Read more
The Mad Dog has a bone to pick with Magic Johnson. Appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” earlier this week, Chris Russo said he “loves” Johnson and named several of his accolades from his playing career, before chiding the former Lakers point guard for congratulating Bronny James on getting drafted by the team. “Magic, really, we’re … Read more
Chris Russo wasn’t just going to let Stephen A. Smith enjoy the blockbuster move made by the Knicks on Tuesday night. Appearing Wednesday morning on ESPN’s “First Take” with Smith and NBA insider Brian Windhorst, Russo diminished the Knicks’ stunning trade for Mikal Bridges, stating how the Nets forward “is not the missing piece” to … Read more
Chris Russo would not have welcomed Bill Belichick with open arms if the 72-year-old former NFL coach appeared at his doorstep to take out his early-20s daughter. “Here’s what I would say. If Bill Belichick came to my house and wanted to date Kiera Russo, who’s 23, I’d have a problem with it,” Russo said … Read more
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo ribbed Stephen A. Smith over his entrance videos during the NBA Finals. Several times during the series between the Celtics and Mavericks, ESPN’s social media team shared videos of Smith strutting into the arena like it does with players. During his weekly “First Take” appearance on Wednesday, Russo let Smith have … Read more
It would have been an epic day for Mike and the Mad Dog to talk sports and go at it as hard as they can. With the news that Aaron Rodgers was missing the Jets’ mandatory minicamp for an “unexcused” absence to attend an unspecified event that is “important to him,” former cohosts Mike Francesa … Read more
Stephen A. Smith shut down a long-running rumor that he and his “First Take” co-host Molly Qerim are a couple during Wednesday’s episode. The 56-year-old ESPN personality explained “there’s nothing going on” between him and Qerim, 40, after Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who appears regularly on the show, joked that their matching white outfits made … Read more
Chris Russo has long been a crusader against sporting events that start way too late at night. After all, in the introduction of his SiriusXM radio show, he can be heard barking, “Give us a chance to watch the damn thing, will you please?” With that as the backdrop, it was an inevitability that he … Read more
Ian Eagle was 29 years old when he realized he couldn’t hang with Bill Raftery until the buzzer. Eagle, who has replaced Jim Nantz on CBS’ top college basketball team for March Madness this year and is working alongside Raftery and Grant Hill, has been on announcer teams with Raftery for 30 years. In addition … Read more
The Mad Dog will be barking on “First Take” for years to come. The Post has confirmed that Chris Russo has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN to continue appearing on the debate program hosted by Stephen A. Smith. The news was first reported by Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy. Chris Russo will continue to … Read more
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo isn’t buying what the NFL is selling in terms of streaming. The well-known sports talker is still enraged weeks later about the NFL’s decision to air the Chiefs-Dolphins wild-card round playoff game on the NBCUniversal-run platform, Peacock. Russo has not been alone in his dismay over the NFL’s decision to broadcast … Read more
Dan Orlovsky has a new nickname for “Mad Dog” Christopher Russo: “Classless.” Orlovsky, the ESPN analyst, ripped Russo after the famous radio/television personality described him as a former NFL “scrub” on ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday. “May be a HOFer but this classless,” Orlovsky tweeted in response to a clip of Russo’s dig. Russo’s shot … Read more
One of the great Super Bowl traditions in sports media is no more. For the first time in eons, Chris Russo is not doing his customary trivia for his radio listeners to win a trip to the Super Bowl. Russo has done the yearly trivia since joining SiriusXM in 2008, and did it for years … Read more
It took one play in the Bills-Chiefs AFC Divisional-Round game for Chris Russo to lose his patience with Tony Romo. On the first play from scrimmage, Josh Allen threw a pass to Stefon Diggs that the receiver fumbled before tight end Dalton Kincaid swatted it out of bounds. Romo, CBS’ lead NFL analyst, referenced Franco … Read more