During a diatribe about the late-season collapse of the New York Mets, SiriusXM host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo turned his anger towards ESPN and its coverage of the MLB Wild Card series’.
Russo was not happy with a perceived overreliance on analytics and advanced statistics during its coverage of the postseason.
“With the ESPN broadcast, can we stop with the analytics? I don’t care about every line drive that’s 109 miles per hour off the bat,” Mad Dog said. “Enough with the analytics! Let us watch the ball game! I know when the ball is hit hard. I don’t need you to have the speed or the exit velocity! I don’t need it! Or what the revolution is with the spin rate. Oh my god! You think Walter Johnson cared about a spin rate? How ’bout (Babe) Ruth? (Joe) DiMaggio? I mean come on! Mickey Mantle! (Willie) Mays! Enough with the nonsense! Let me watch the ball game!”
Russo currently appears on ESPN’s First Take as a regular contributor, often getting into shouting matches with the show’s Stephen A. Smith.
