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Nothing can get by ’em, turn it on and try ’em.
“Mike and the Mad Dog” held court at a reunion on Thursday.
Appearing at the Barrett Sports Media Summit in New York, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo reminisced about their legendary run on WFAN afternoon drive and addressed whether they’d ever work together regularly again.
Francesa didn’t sound optimistic about the prospect of the iconic duo kickstarting a new project. He said he is enjoying all of his family time in retirement and would be hesitant to commit to five hours a day again. He added he wasn’t sure whether he could do it anymore because his priorities have shifted.
“I made a couple of goals in life. I was very goal-oriented,” Francesa said. “I told WFAN that if they let me do afternoon drive I’d stay 15 years. I lied — I stayed 33.
“The other one I had is I promised everyone that I would start a horse in the Kentucky Derby while I was still on this Earth — with a chance to win. He didn’t have to be the favorite, but he had a legitimate chance to win. I have that horse.”
Francesa’s horse, High Oak, is competing in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. A victory in the race would mean the thoroughbred will compete in the Kentucky Derby in May.
Russo reiterated he believes that Francesa’s focus on his horse will remain steadfast for the future.
“I know Mike better than anybody, and if he’s sitting there on that first Saturday in May in Churchill Downs with a horse going to the gate, that would be, I promise you, the highlight of his life,” he said.
Francesa also rehashed the story of how “Mike and the Mad Dog” came together. As he told it, he was vying for afternoon drive at WFAN when Russo “upset the apple cart” in getting positive exposure from appearances with Don Imus and elsewhere on the station.
Former station boss Mark Mason told Francesa that he’d gotten the afternoon drive job — but he had to do it with Russo.
“Not a freaking chance,” Francesa recalled telling Mason, only for the response to be he’d do it with Russo or not at all.
“I was miserable,” Francesa said. “I didn’t want any part of this.”
Little did he know that their show would go on between 1989 and 2008 with he and Russo becoming lifelong friends.
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