Mike & The Mad Dog was one of sports radio’s most consequential shows. Mike Francesa recently revealed a “division of labor” between he and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo that even longtime listeners may have never realized.
While appearing on Bloomberg’s The Deal podcast — hosted by Jason Kelly and Alex Rodriguez, Francesa was asked how he and Russo made a two-person show work when both hosts believed they were better on a solo program.
“The preparation wasn’t different, but the show was completely different,” said Francesa. When pressed for more details, he revealed that more thought goes into a two-person program, including the credibility of his partner.
“We sat down early on, and I said to the producer, ‘Hey, everybody’s gonna always ask me. They think I’m the sports guy. They’re gonna ask me every question. We need to have Dog answer the phones. I’m not gonna answer the phones so that they talk to Dog first. Otherwise, they’re not gonna talk to me.’
“So what people don’t realize is you have to have a division of labor to make those work. In 20 years on Mike & The Mad Dog, I never opened the show or closed the show. You listen to two-man shows, they’ll be ‘Good night, good night, good night, good night,’ five times because they want to say ‘good night,’ last,” he continued. “I never, ever, said hello, and I never, ever, said goodbye. And I never once welcomed in a phone call. In 20 years. No one knows that, because we had a division of labor.”
Rodriguez, who was a self-avowed die-hard fan of the show, was astounded by the admission from Mike Francesa, noting that he never noticed that dynamic at play.
Francesa said that the “division of labor” between he and Russo included him planning the show each day, while leading the show. Russo’s job was to play the comedic foil. “If I said follow me, he knew how to follow me perfectly. He knew how to play the clown. It was like a fishing rod. I would cast him out, and I would reel him in. I would let him out and reel him in,” he said. “I’d make him nuts and make him go crazy. I’d reel him in. That was my job.”
