Friday, May 16, 2008

Russo's Fidgeting & Francesa's scribbling

2:55PM: The boys are on location today at Yankee Stadium for the start of the Subway Series. I have to say that the first few segments have been a bit weak. Even Gman commented that Russo put forth a very substandard "Good Afternoon Everyboddyyyy." Mike and Chris seem to be lacking some energy. But one of the interesting things when the duo are on the road somewhere is that they are forced to sit awkwardly next to each other, which gives you a great head on view of both men. This has led me to focus on 2 staples of the Mike and the Mad Dog radio program ever since the show has been televised on the YES Network: Russo's Fidgeting & Francesa's Scribbling.

Let me explain further. This is something hardcore fans have noticed since the boys have hit YES. Usually Russo keeps his fingers tangled up with the wire connecting his headphones and enjoys to ravel and unravel the wire over and over again. It's like some kind of mental release for the Dog. On the other hand, the Big Man is in a constant state of scribbling notes into an opened page of either the New York Post or Daily News. These 2 elements are ingrained into the fabric of every single Mike and the Mad Dog broadcast (Element 2A are Russo's hand gestures, which I will save for another post). Today, with a different set-up, the fidgeting and scribbling have taken over my focus as they are both facing the camera and it's hard to escape it all. The only difference is that today Russo has fixated on a couple of different items. Case in point:

2:57PM: Russo shuffling papers on desk in front of him
2:58PM: Russo opening and closing his eyeglasses case
2:58PM: Russo picks up eyeglasses case and moves them to the front of his desk
2:58PM: Francesa scribbling away madly at what appears to be the classifieds of either the Post or Daily News. I often find myself wondering what page of the classifieds Mike might be looking at and taking notes on. Here are my best guesses:

- GE Custon Refrigerator. $250. Purchased it for $500. Can hold unusual amounts of food.
- Used '93 Honda Civic in mint condition. Looking for Best Offer. Will self for scrap.
- Single white female seeking SWM. 40s or 50s. Clean. Likes to eat out and has a passion for Saratoga Springs.

3:00PM: Russo reaches back for eyeglasses case and moves them on top of stack of papers.
3:01PM: Russo picks up piece of paper in front of him and moves it to the side of the desk.
3:01PM: Russo flips open and close eyeglasses case
3:01PM: Francesa just circled a possible ad (Staten Island cable access show looking for anchor. $500/week. Great opportunity to learn the television business)
3:02PM: Russo again with the eyeglasses case.

Even when these guys aren't at their most entertaining, they still are. You got to hand it to them. What's your favorite Russo/Francesa fidget?

1 comment:

gman26 said...

The early part of today also saw the duo revisit their vague racism that we see from time-to-time. Echoing a caller, Russo basically thinks that Latin players can't make it in this city.