Mike and the Mad Dog Divorce Proceedings: WHO GETS MINKO?

As we know with any divorce the ones who get hurt the most are the kids. We at Mike and the Mad Blog are very concerned with the children of Mike and Chris and wondering how this nasty divorce will get settled. Which kids will go with Mike and who with Mr Russo?

First up...

Sweeney: Mike clearly hates him. He goes with Chris

Jon Heyman: This could be the most heated part of the divorce proceedings. Mike and Chris love Heyman and neither is going to settle for just having Heyman staying at his house on the weekends. During the divorce proceedings, Heyman in his testimony announces a huge scoop...

"Mike and the Mad Dog are ending their radio show after 19 years,"
The entire courtroom moans, Mike and Chris leap from their chairs, in unison.. "TERRIFIC JOB FROM JON HEYMAN."

The judge announces who receives custody of Heyman but neither Mike and Chris listen to the news until Heyman reports it on the FAN three weeks later.

Mr Met: I believe Mr Met secretly hates Chris and may have attempted to kill him on more than one occasion. But he also could not live with Mike because of the Yankees issue. Mr Met will be sent to an orphanage.

Jim Nantz: I believe already snuggles with Mike 3-5 days a week, so he stays put.

Ed Coleman: Mike doesn't hate Eddie C as much as Eddie C probably hates Mike so I believe Chris takes him and also sees him as a terrific influence on Timmy.

Tony Russo: it has been a long time coming, but you hear it on the calls, Tony always addresses Mike and barely talks to Chris. He's a Yankee fan, his son likes the Giants and tennis. Tony in an emotional court room moment, goes with Mike.

Eddie Erickson: Tough call here. Mike and Chris used to joke around about who really wanted Erickson hired as their producer. Tough to say which side Eddie believed. Russo does like to pick on him a bit, but to me, it's a fatherly sort of love. I say Russo gets custody of him.

Bruce From Bayside: He definitely goes to Chris. I feel that Bruce calls in a lot more when Mike is gone. He knows he won't be scolded by that abusive father figure that is Papa Francesa.

Mike from Montclair: Without a doubt, he goes to Francesa. Mike once commented that Roe's favorite caller was Mike from Montclair. No doubt they will tidy up the guest room for him.

THE MIKE AND THE MAD DOG BUCKET LIST

With the end possibly near, we've decided to compile The Mike and the Mad Dog Bucket List - all the things we would like to see Mike and Chris do before their show kicks the bucket. Here goes:

- Have Mike do the show open the way Chris does it
- Take a call from Jerome
- Show Mike on YES during the commercials
- Apologize to Tim Russert's family for trivializing his death
- Ask Michael Strahan to cohost a show
- Let Chris predict the ratings
- Hug
- Do a fist pump at the end of a segment
- Go a week without Jon Heyman
- Invite Phil Mushnick into the studio for some tea
- Take picture in a booth with 'Mike and Dog - BFFs forever' written below
- Do a top 10 list of their least favorite guests ever
- Switch seats
- Do an over/Under predicting what age they will die
- Mike does Marquis de Sade wearing crotchless panties
- Sing the Mike and the Mad Dog theme
- Have John Sterling guest host a segment and let him play audio clips of all the incorrect things you have said over the last 19 years
- Treat people like human beings
- Admit that Tampa Bay just might be for real
- Come prepared
- Inform the audience that you are going to resolve your decades long dispute with a game of Rock Em Sock Em Robots. Winner stays at WFAN. Loser is out.
- Have Mike sing 'If I Only Had a Heart' from the Wizard of Oz
- Learn how to use the internet
- Mike admits everything he's been wrong about
- Never talk horse racing again
- Car pool to work everyday and spend the first segment of the show discussing the ride
- Mike and Chris tell the audience that they have cut the caller off but are going to continue talking like he's still there
- Reveal the special phone number that allows Bruce from Bayside to get on whenever he wants
- Admit that they should never talk about anything outside of sports because they don't know enough about movies or the news or politics
- Mike eats a salad and drinks a bottle of water while on air
- They do an entire show with Chris sitting on Mikes lap
- Mike admits that Bronson Arroyo is not good

Did we miss something? Let us know...

CHRIS RUSSO AT HOME: A PORTRAIT

After a tumultuous week with speculation around the breakup of Mike and the Mad Dog, Chris Russo sits at home on Sunday, enjoying his weekend. As he finishes off a fascinating story on Federer’s Journey to five titles at the All England Club in Tennis magazine, Chris slips on his Wimbledon whites and heads over to New Canaan Tennis Club for a 9AM court time with Dr. Harry Greenstein. Russo sweats out a 3 set victory, hops in his BMW, blasts Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” and makes the arduous 3 mile drive back to his palatial estate. At home, Jeanne is preparing lunch for the Russo clan. It’s a little past noon when Chris walks in the door. Seated around the kitchen table are Jeanne and the kids, highlighted by Chris’ favorite, Timmy. Upon seeing his offspring for the first time of the day, Chris lets out a customary “Gooood Afternooon Everybodyyyyyy. And how are you today??” Jeanne lets Chris know of the calls he missed while he was out, “Tony from Santa Fe. He wanted to talk Joba. He also thinks this Cano kid stinks.” Chris heads upstairs to change. Moments later, the smoke alarm can be heard throughout the house. Jeanne had a little mishap in the kitchen preparing some eggs. “Bad job Jeanne, bad job,” Chris mutters under his breath, as he heads back downstairs, sidestepping Theodore the hamster (or Milkshake or whatever the hell those damn kids named it he thinks to himself) who is running wild through the house. Chris enjoys his lunch out by the pool with the kids. Timmy asks dad to play in the pool with him. Chris knows he can’t swim. But really, his mind is occupied by the fact that Wimbledon coverage started a little while ago. A must watch he keeps thinking to himself. Chris can’t get the nagging thought out of his mind that Nadal or Federer might get upset. Chris is giddy at the thought. Not nearly as giddy as he was watching Tim Lincecum last night. But giddy nonetheless. It would be a HUGE story. That reminds Chris, he needs to make a phone call. He reaches for his cell phone and dials the unfamiliar number of radio partner Mike Francesa. Once again, no answer on the other end.

MIKE FRANCESA AT HOME: A PORTRAIT

After a tumultuous week with speculation around the breakup of Mike and the Mad Dog, Mike Francesa sits at home on Saturday, enjoying his weekend. As he reads the Daily Racing Form and handicaps the Grade I Mother Goose, his kids frolic outside around the pool. Their skin has taken on an almost pasty quality. Most likely due to the copious amounts of Bullfrog sunblock that was applied by their father. As Roe fixes Mike's midday meal, she reminds their Trinidadian nanny to keep a close eye on the young ones. She is preparing a nice little salad for him. First she puts Romaine and Butter lettuce in and then she throws on a few toppings - sprouts, cheddar cheese, hard-boiled egg, avocado, ham, bacon bits, sausage crumbles, fried cream cheese squares and half a bottle of Ranch dressing. Springstein's album The River plays in the background. Mike puts down the DRF and moves to the 2008 NFL Media guide. He skims through the pages until he finds the Week 1 schedule. After pouring over all the matchups, he grabs a notepad and writes 'Play for Pay' at the top. Then he jots down what he thinks the betting line will be for each game. His cell phone starts vibrating. He picks it up and sees a '203' area code and 'New Canaan' on the caller ID. He puts the phone down and leans back for his afternoon nap.

MORE FROM NEIL BEST OF NEWSDAY

FRANCESA: RADIO SHOW MAY NOT LAST BEYOND SUMMER

BY NEIL BEST | neil.best@newsday.com
June 28, 2008
Mike Francesa says the "Mike and the Mad Dog" show is at a "crossroad" and that he cannot guarantee it will last beyond this summer.

Responding for the first time to a report in Newsday last Sunday that his partnership with Chris Russo soon might end, Francesa turned wistful Friday during a 4 1/2-minute monologue on WFAN that at times sounded like an early farewell to the show.

"I think even our most severe critic would say that we have produced something pretty special over the last 19 years," he said from Yankee Stadium before Game 1 of the Mets-Yankees two-stadium doubleheader, later adding, "Where it goes from here, I'm not sure. I think, to be fair with the audience, I think we have reached a crossroad."

He said the matter will "play out over the summer."

"I don't know how long is long enough," he said. "Would I guarantee anything? No. Would I make any declarations today? No. Eventually, all things have to pass. If we're at that time, I'm not sure."

It was Francesa's only workday this week. He is not scheduled to work with Russo until July 11.

On Monday, Russo stressed that he is under contract deep into next year but did not specifically deny that he or Francesa will leave. Four industry sources have said Russo's most likely destination would be satellite radio.

Francesa refused to discuss his contract Friday. Newsday reported earlier this year that he had agreed to an extension, but it is not clear that he signed it.

Russo said Monday that he and Francesa have feuded in recent months; Francesa agreed Friday, saying this was among the worst of their "four or five" fights over the years. The two met May 12 and agreed to stop dragging their problems onto the air.

"He apologized, I apologized, because I thought I had handled myself terribly," Francesa said. "I think we've patched it up on the air. Have we patched it up off the air? Not really, to any real extent."

Francesa said that even with the fallout from the Newsday article, he and Russo had not spoken. "That's a pretty good indication of where we are right now," he said.

He stressed that a poor relationship with Russo would not be enough by itself to end the show.

WFAN operations director Mark Chernoff reiterated what he said last weekend: "They are under contract, and we expect to have a nice, long run with 'Mike and the Mad Dog.'"

Said Francesa: "We've had a lot of different things happen in our lives. We've had seven kids in recent years. You go through a lot of changes, a lot of things happen, a lot of things are said. You don't know everything that's going to happen day to day. Life's not that predictable."

TO SEE OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH NEIL BEST OF NEWSDAY, SEE BELOW:
http://mikeandthemadblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/our-exclusive-interview-with-neil-best.html

MIKE NOT HAVING ANY OF DELGADO

Delgado set a Mets record today with 9 RBI. A 2 run double, a grand slam, a 3 run homer. So instead of giving Carlos a tad of credit, here's what the big man had to say between games: "You throw 3-1 fastballs and even someone that's 100 years old can hit it. The last 7 RBI’s were mail order RBI’s. They don’t count...I can hit the 3-1 fastball from Ohlendorf out of the ballpark!!!"

Mike is going nuts on the Yankee pitching and the pitching in the game today: "The first 5 innings set pitching back 100 years. Pelfrey throws 95 and won’t challenge anybody. This was the worst 5 innings played in the history of baseball. To have a $220 million payroll and put this slop on the mound, it’s an utter embarrassment. You CANNOT have these pitchers on your team..And Pelfrey's AFRAID TO THROW THE BALL."

Hey Mike, this ain't about Pelfrey today.

MIKE ADDRESSES THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Mike Francesa addressed the Neil Best report that Mike and the Mad Dog could soon be history:

"Dog got it in his lap on Monday. I made sure I was near a TV at 1 o clock when he came on. I thought he handled it well. Everything he said, as far as the relationship was true You know we’ve been together 19 years. That’s a long time and a very visible position for 19 years, so you know, we’ve kind of carried on this relationship in a very public way, so that when we’ve had fights, they’ve been made public, when we’ve had battles, they’ve been made public and there haven’t been many in recent years. The last bad one before this was probably 8 years ago, I think it was in 2000, we had a bad one. And I’d say in the last 19 years, we’ve probably had 4 or 5 bad ones. This one was pretty bad. And I’d say he gave you the timetable, I would say we did have a meeting in May, that we had decided that maybe we had carried it on the air and that we were not being very professional so we apologized. He apologized. I apologized. I thought I had handled myself terribly. I apologized for that. I thought I had carried it on the air, was very unprofessional, which was something I don’t ever try to be. When you do this this long, you are going to have problems. I think we’ve patched it up on the air. Have we patched it up off the air? Not really. Not to any real extent. I’ll give you an example, we haven’t spoken this week, so that should give you an indication, of everything that’s going on, we haven’t spoke this week. So I think that’s a pretty good indication of where we are right now. Umm, about everything else and all the conjecture, I haven’t spoken to anybody about that, I haven’t spoken to anybody about the story. I’ve had requests about it this week. I would just say this, in 20 years of being here, I came to the station in ‘87, I’ve been with Dog since ‘89, I have never, not once, discussed my contractual relationship with FAN publicly. Not on the air, not in the newspapers. I’ve never negotiated publicly. I’ve never negotiated on the air, I’ve never negotiated in the newspapers. I’ve had a great relationship with the station. I haven’t had any contract battle in 20 years. I’ve had 4 or 5 contracts. They’ve all been handled very, very well. I’ve never had a bad day with them in 20 years, so I’ve never discussed that and I never will. So I mean I have no interest in discussing my contractual situation and where it is or would I do that publicly. And as far as the Mike and the Mad Dog program and where everybody thinks it may be going or, I will say this, we have done 19 years together, which is a very long time. We’ve had a lot of different things happen in our lives, we’ve had 7 kids in recent years. You go through a lot of changes, a lot of things happen. A lot of things are said. You don’t know everything that’s going to happen day to day, life’s not that predictable. Nothing’s that predictable that you know there’s any certainty to what’s gonna happen day to day. I would say this, I think our relationship will never be a sole reason that we would ever part. I don’t think it would ever reach that level. I think we could always work well together. I think we’ve worked well together. I think even our most severe critic would say that we have produced something pretty special over the last 19 years. Pretty successful and pretty special, and I think it’s something that I’m proud of and I hope he’s proud of. Where it goes from here, I’m not sure. You know I think to be fair with the audience, I think we have reached a crossroads, I think we’re at a crossroad. I think this will play out over the summer and we’ll see what happens. I’m not going to sit here and say that something couldn’t change. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. I don’t know that yet. So if it does, I will be very proud of everything we’ve accomplished here. If it doesn’t, we’ll be back and hopefully do 19 or 20 more years together. I don’t know. You know I don’t know how long is long enough. You know, you wait and see how it happens. Would I guarantee anything? No. Would I make any declarations today? No. Eventually all things have to pass. If we’re at the time, I’m not sure. We’ll see what happens. It’ll be an interesting summer. Next, Met Baseball."

"IT WILL PLAY OUT OVER THE SUMMER..."

FINALLY.. ON A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE OF MIKE AND THE MAD DOG...

Mike, in what sounded like the beginnings of the farewell to Mike and the Mad Dog spoke about the issue with him and Chris. If you listened to it or watched it on YES, (transcript will be coming soon from FTLT), it definitely sounded like this is a relationship that is broken and not going to be fixed.

More to come

TODAY'S SHOW

A few things we have learned today so far. Mike loves the Sun. He loves Brook Lopez. He does not like the new Giants PSL deal. He does like the idea of playing Kevin Love as a 4 and running a bunch of pick and rolls with him. He did not like the fact that the Yankees were rained out yesterday. He likes the sunblock brand Bullfrog. He loves it so much he slathers it on his children. He also really likes announcing baseball lineups.

What we have not learned so far today(as of 1:14pm), is how he feels about doing a radio show with Chris Russo.

RUSSO VS FRANCESCA: ROUND ONE TO RUSSO

Anyone who has listened to Russo solo and Francesca's early solo appearance today knows that Russo has been the better host.

Francesca today has been a joke. He has talked about the lineups twice, had a boring conversation with Girardi and then talked again Yankees and Mets again but just rambling off pitchers and numbers.

He is on auto pilot. What is crystal clear to me and you see it even with the issue of the speciality seating for the Giants games, Mike talks about the issue in this drone sounding voice and there is little passion behind it. It sounds to me like kissing up. Russo speaks out and there is excitement, passion, and most of all energy.

Mike today sounds like he is doing us a favor by coming in to work and doing the show. I think he believes that he is some sort of pre game show. Mike, we don't need you to do the pre game show.

Now, I know that Dog was dealing with the Neil Best issue the day after and got right to it but Mike HAS TO KNOW that fans want to hear from him on this and he is refusing to talk about it. I think he's being arrogant and just holding it out there for as long as he can.

LINEUPS

For those of you who aren't listening and were wondering what the Yankee lineups were for this weekend, tune into the Fan. Mike is the holder of this key information. And he's not holding back.
He will let you know. He will tell about the controversy in the Meadowlands. He'll discuss the NBA draft. What he won't tell you is what he is thinking about his future. Apparently, there isn't much to talk about. Jay-Z, Lebron James mentions at 12:52pm. But no mentions of Neil Best or Chris Russo. Stay strong, Mikey.

WHAT MIKE SAID/WHAT MIKE REALLY MEANT

This is a new feature on Mikeandthemadblog. At 12:19PM, during the Joe Girardi report, Mike asked the skipper this question:

WHAT MIKE SAID:
"Do you feel that you are stocked enough Joe to get on a good run before the All-Star break with this pitching or do you need a reinforcement? Do you need another arm?"

WHAT MIKE REALLY MEANT:
"Do you need Bronson Arroyo? Everyone knows how I feel about Bronson. Yeah, he pitched the worst game in major league history the other day, but he misses bats. He would love to pitch against Boston. He plays the guitar. He's a no-brainer."

Mike Teases Addressing the Controversy

In his open, Mike just said ""I will also sometime in the hour and a half touch on the whole mike and the mad dog story, which Dog got left in his lap on Monday. I will do that sometime when I have a minute in the 90 minutes today, although it surely isn't the most important thing when we have a busy day with the Mets and Yankees getting ready to play two."

Uhh, Mike, we have to respectfully agree to disagree on this one. It is indeed the MOST important story. I don't care if its Game 1 of the World Series today. There was a huge story that your show was breaking up. Dog came on and addressed it right off the bat. This is the first time you have been on the air. Everyone is waiting to hear what you have to say about it and you say you "will do that sometime when you have a minute." Are you joking? Seriously? What do you think this is, ESPN Radio, where you have to tease topics? Cmon Mike.

A REVIEW OF THE DONE REPORT

Back on June 2nd, our good pal Mike Francesa issued his Done Report for the season, on which baseball teams seasons were over, despite the fact that it was only June 2nd. 25 days later, we decided to review Mike's report. Here goes:

JUNE 2 - Mike: Colorado, they're done and Seattle, I think they are both done.

TODAY: Seattle is indeed done. Colorado was briefly inspired by Mike's inclusion of them in the Done Report, and they rattled off 6 wins in their next 7 games. However, they have dropped 4 in a row, leaving them 15 games under .500. They are 12-9 since Mike's report.

JUNE 2 - Chris: Pirates done? Washington done? Mike: Well those teams were never started

TODAY: Washington is most definitely done. Pittsburgh, like Colorado, was also briefly motivated by Francesa' ax on their season, and they won 3 of their next 4 games. But alas, they are just 11-11 since the fateful June 2nd declaration and sit 4 games under .500 on the season. On a positive note, they are merely 6 games back of St. Louis in the loss column for the wild card.

JUNE 2 - Chris:Kansas City done? Mike: Yeah.

TODAY: The Royals were no doubt jolted by Mike's words and went on to drop 5 of their next 6. However, motivated by Francesa's possible departure from WFAN, Kansas City has rattled off 10 wins in their last 11 games. Coincidence? We think not. They are 13-9 since the Done Report.

JUNE 2 - Chris: Baltimore done? Mike: Baltimore done Yes.

TODAY: Another team apparently un-phased by Mike putting their season in a coffin. After the report was issued, the Orioles went 5-1 in their next 6 games, and overall have gone 14-8 since the report. They currently sit at 40-37, just ONE game back of the Yanks in the loss column. Imagine that.

JUNE 2 - Chris: Texas? Mike: Yes. Chris (Very surprised): Ohhh really!? Mike: They're not going anywhere this year.

TODAY: Texas has gone 11-11 since Francesa declared their season over. They are currently 40-40, but get this, they are just 4 back of the Yankees in the loss column.

JUNE 2 - Chris: Cincinnati? Mike: I won't count them out yet.

TODAY: Mike saw something in Cincy. He wasn't ready to bury their season just yet. They responded accordingly, going 8-15 since Mike gave their season hope. They sit in last place in the NL Central.

JUNE 2 - Chris: San Diego? Mike: I won't count them out yet.

TODAY: Again, Mike liked what he saw out of the Padres and wasn't ready to pull the plug on their season either. Since Francesa offered San Diego fans a glimmer of hope, they have gone 9-13 and sit in last place in the NL West.

JUNE 2 -Chris: Giants? Mike: Yeah. Giants are done.

TODAY: Sorry Dog, but the Giants are most definitely done.

IN A PERFECT WORLD

With the much-anticipated return of Mike Francesa to his show(12pm today everyone), I got to thinking about not so much what he will say today('I'm not a big believer in airing our dirty laundry in public'), but what will happen when he sees Russo for the first time. I figured that it might play out like that scene from Jerry Maguire. (disclaimer: Apparently some people have a hard time discerning 'mock' posts from real ones. Just so you know, this is a blog. Not a newspaper. We have no journalistic responsibilities here. We can veer in and out of reality as much as we like. It's up to you to decide whether you enjoy it or not. Having said that, as far as I know, this conversation, with Mike playing Tom Cruise and Russo playing Renee Zellweger, never happened.)

FRANCESA

Tonight... my little stable had a very big day.

A very, very big day. We won a claiming race.

But it wasn't complete.

It wasn't nearly close to being complete.

(Francesa turns to Russo)

I couldn't share it with you.

I couldn't hear your voice.

I couldn't laugh about it with you.

I missed my... I missed my partner.

We live in a cynical world.

And we work in a business of tough competitors.

I love you. You... complete me
- And I just...

RUSSO

Shut up!

You had me at "loss column".

OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH NEIL BEST OF NEWSDAY

Since Neil Best reported the story of the Mike and the Mad Dog show possibly being history, we thought it would be great to hear from the person who broke this story himself. We reached out to Neil and asked him a few questions about this story. He was nice enough to respond. Here is the transcript of our interview with him (by the way, for those that sometimes read our "mock" stories, this is indeed a real interview):

Mikeandthemadblog:
What can you tell us about how you were able to break this story (was it developing for a few weeks or it did come together very quickly, did you speak with people at WFAN, etc.)?

NEIL BEST:
Obviously there is not much I can tell you in terms of who I heard it from originally. I only found out about it recently, and unfortunately bothered Mark Chernoff, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo about it on a Saturday when Chernoff was at a family wedding, Russo was at the pool with his kids and Mike was on vacation. But I figured it was important enough to be bothering those people on a late June weekend. I since have talked to a number of assorted people to try to continue advancing the story, but frankly there are stone walls up all over the place on this one; it's extremely hush hush! I am doing the best I can.

Mikeandthemadblog:
What do you say to the people out there who think this is just a PR move or a contract ploy?

NEIL BEST:
I say I don't believe that is the case, or I would not have written it - or at least I would have written that that might be what is going on - but of course it wouldn't be the first time in journalism history that a reporter has been used by sources for some sort of alternate motive or another. I guess we shall see.

Mikeandthemadblog:
What do you think of Mike Francesa's silence on the matter? What do you read into that?

NEIL BEST:
I'm not sure what to make of it. But he is on vacation so let's not jump to too many conclusions. He is scheduled to be on Friday, so that should be very interesting!

Mikeandthemadblog:
Based on your information, how do you honestly see this playing out?

NEIL BEST:
As you can see by the wording in the original story, this is a very, very murky situation that I assume will play out over several weeks or perhaps even months leading to Labor Day, and I am not sure exactly how it will play out. I do believe in the end that the long-time partners will go their separate ways. Nineteen years is a long, long time! They have had a great run. Maybe it's time to try something different.


Thanks to Neil for taking the time to answer a few of our questions.

Dog on FIRE Today

They just played a bite from Beltran after the game "That's what I expect from the manager in a situation like that to come out, he basically came out to protect us and that's the way it should be."

Doggie was none too happy with that statement from Beltran:

"will you stop MAKING JERRY MANUEL OUT TO BE A GOD!!!! I mean gee whizz!! I mean cmon, can we stop with this! Protect us???!! How bout winning some games!!! Protect us?!!! Should Willie have come out and protected you Carlos, when you took that curve ball from Adam Wainright in Game 7 of the NLCS 2 years ago??? Boy I am feisty today!!

It appears to us here at the MikeandtheMadBlog, that the Neil Best article has had a big impact on Chris. As Lt. Weinberg pointed out "the loss of randolph might not have helped the mets but the possible loss of francesca and the neil best article have lit a fire into chris. He is freerer solo." Gman added "maybe the impending breakup has put something on Russo's fastball."

Whatever the case, Russo seems reborn on the air.

Great Open By Russo Today

I'm telling you, I think I can get used to the Dog flying solo everyday. He was on fire and on point today in his open:

"It's becoming very evident it's not Willie's Fault. I don't want to hear from the Mets now. I don't want to hear from the broadcasters. I don't want to hear about loose clubhouses. I don't want to hear about Willie Randolph. I don't want to hear about finding chemistry, passion with arguing with umpires. I don't want to hear a word of it. I don't want to hear a word. You are 7-11 against last place baseball teams. And Seattle was as dead as Mr Met driving up to Merritt on weeknights. They were a dead carcass. And they walked in here and they toyed with you. And what's Jerry Manuel gonna do now, have a little chat with Howard Johnson, let's fire some other coach now, now it's Howard Johnson's fault? After it was Rick Down's fault, like it was Tom Nieto's fault, like it was Rick Peterson's fault. All I heard last week was Dan Warthen's going to be a great pitching coach. How's Oliver Perez pitched in his 2 starts with big Danny? How's that worked out?"

If Francesa was there, he would throw cold water on things. "Perez won 15 games last year, now he's Guhhbagee? They're only a couple out in duh loss column.."

Keep up the good work Dog..

Chris on his wife's Cooking

Not sure if this is a positive thing or criticism, but Dog opened the show with the following line:

"My wife cooked, believe it or not - usually when my wife cooks, it's a NASCAR crash, fire all over the place and everything. I bought that new kitchen and she put it to use."

MIKE FRANCESCA STILL BELIEVES IN BRONSON ARROYO

Bronson Arroyo, who tonight in one inning gave up 11 hits and 10 earned runs is still a perfect fit for the New York Yankees according to Arroyo's agent, Mike Francesca.
"He misses bats," Mike said when reached at his compound in Saratoga. When told that it appeared that Arroyo did not miss any bats tonight and seem to even hit ones that didn't swing, Mike replied saying "Arroyo is a tremendous guitar player and the Yankees really need him."

JON HEYMAN IS A BORE

Ok, if you read this blog you are crystal clear how we feel about Jon Heyman. He knows little and provides less insight. He more often than not does a terrible job. To me, the reason to have a guy like Heyman on, who is supposed to be some kind of baseball insider, is to get inside information, but Heyman rarely does that. He is not reporting about potential trades, despite what Mike and Chris say, he did not give any breaking new news about the Willie situation. Chris said today that he believed that Bernazard was Heyman's source and Bernazard was talking to everyone, so that's hardly an inside scoop. Also suddenly now he is saying that the way the Mets fired Willie wasn't as bad as everyone said. Sipping the Mets Kool Aid Jon?

Today, my problem was with Chris. Chris is interviewing Heyman like he's a beat writer for the Mets, asking him questions about the Beltran bunt and Johan Santana. I don't care what Jon Heyman thinks about that. I want Heyman to be telling me who is getting Sabathia, or what surprising player is going to be on the market. I want to know from him who the Yankees are talking about in replacing Wang. Give me something...

On the Yankees here's what he had to say: "They do need a pitcher at some point. I think that they are well aware that they need a pitcher." REALLY JON? Did the TITANIC ALSO NEED SOME LIFE RAFTS AT SOME POINT? Come on, give us something more.

On the Tigers here's Jon's insight: "To me they are an enigma... On paper they are a very good team. They have a shot but i don't think it's a great one." HMMM.. The TIGERS WHO ARE UNDER .500 DON'T HAVE A GREAT SHOT? Really, thanks Jon. That's big time analysis there. What about our pal Chris Russo does he have a great shot at hooking up with Angelina Jolie?

On the Mariners he finally provides one piece of insight on a team that is 24 games under .500 "The GM told me that everyone here is interim, the manager, the players, everyone is interim."

BREAKING NEWS: EVERYONE IS INTERIM ON THE MARINERS

Now to be fair, he did give you another good nugget about the Mariners and Ichiro. That Ichiro was the reason that Mike Hargrove left the team and that they did not get along. I love that kind of stuff and Chris got excited about it.

How about some more sort of real sports inside gossip Jon? Give me the Page Six of sports. Rumors, gossip, whatever. I don't care, just give me all of it. Make the shit up Jon. Anything is better than you commenting on Beltran's bunt.

A final thing.. Do we really need Jon Heyman two days a week? Tuesday and Thursdays with Jon? What can he honestly tell us? More Mariners gossip? Let's do one day chock full of rumors and then we can build slowly up to two days. What do you say?

My Call with Chris Today

I called in a short while ago to tee off on the SNY Met broadcast team and how they have done a terrible job with their praise of Jerry Manuel since he took over the team, and how it borders on unprofessional because it clearly shows their dislike of Willie Randolph. Russo very much agreed with me. I also finished the call with a Tony B. reference: "And another thing chris, do I need to read in the Post today that after the game, the mets had a powwow about their offense with Manuel, hojo and Tony Bernazard?What is Bernazard doing in these meetings!!!" Russo was unaware of that and apparently hadn't read the Mets beat reporter's article in today's Post. He questioned if we should believe it because it was in the Post. His words ""Do you want to trust the Post on this? You've got to be careful with the Post. The Post can do strange things." I told Chris it was written by their beat reporter. We'll see if he goes and reads the article now.

How would Mike have handled Yesterday?

Chris was very open and honest about the Neil Best article and the strain between he and Mike at times. The question is, if Mike were solo yesterday, would he have even addressed it? I am thinking that Mike is already annoyed at how much information Chris revealed yesterday (the time period that they were feuding, the meeting with Chernoff) - my guess is Mike is thinking to himself "shut up Dog." But how do you all think Mike would have handled this or once he is back on Friday, WILL he address this?

MORE FROM NEIL BEST ON MIKE AND THE MAD DOG POSSIBLE BREAKUP

Russo: It caught me totally by surprise
BY NEIL BEST neil.best@newsday.com
June 24, 2008
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Chris Russo Monday confirmed on WFAN that he and co-host Mike Francesa feuded for much of the spring, but he insisted their relationship since has improved.The remarks in his opening monologue were in response to a report in Sunday's Newsday that their 19-year partnership could end in the coming weeks, likely before Labor Day.Russo never specifically denied that he or Francesa would leave, but he reiterated that both hosts currently are under contract and said he was shocked to be asked about the possible end of the show."This idea that somehow our program that we've had fun having done it for 19, 20 years, is on the verge of being dismantled caught me totally by surprise," Russo said.

Later, he suggested Newsday was taking "a big leap" with its report and wondered where it had come from."Contracts, contracts, contracts," he said. "You abide by contracts. Mine's got a long, long way to go, not to mention that quote unquote non-compete clause following it. You're never going to get rid of me here."Francesa and Russo are believed to have other job opportunities, but to take advantage in the short term, either would have to buy out his deal. Russo's, with a non-compete clause, runs to October 2009.It is not clear when Francesa's deal expires, but he is not known to have signed beyond this year. An industry source Monday said satellite radio is the likeliest destination for Russo.Steve Cohen, Sirius' VP of sports programming and a former longtime WFAN staffer, did not return calls. Neither did Patrick Reilly, the company's senior VP for communications.If Francesa leaves, he could draw interest from TV in addition to radio, perhaps NBC, where he has a local show on Sunday nights.WFAN staffers have said for months that the relationship .between co-hosts is strained, but neither discussed that publicly until Monday.Russo said that from around Easter (March 23) through May 9, "Mike and I were .having a lot of issues. If you're a listener, I don't have to tell you . . . We were fighting like cats and dogs. The tolerance level of each other, Mike to me, me to Mike, was low."Russo said operations director Mark Chernoff finally asked him to talk to Francesa."After some initial balking by yours truly, I said, 'You know what, absolutely,"' Russo said. They met and "I apologized for acting like an idiot at times, and Mike did the same thing."Matters improved, Russo said, but he added, "Now, was it as good as it may have been in the heyday as far as relationships are concerned? No, .because we were killing each other for six weeks. It's going to take a little while to get back to the same page."Russo dismissed the notion that such bickering would lead to a breakup. But he left open the door to one host or the other departing."This is a great job; I need FAN," he said. "Again, that doesn't mean tomorrow or the next day or whenever that I'm going to put my signature or Mike on a 20-year contract .extension. You play it out and see what happens."

TERRIBLE JOB OUT OF CALLERS TODAY

I am very disappointed with the callers today. Why were there so few callers who were willing to discuss the issue? Did we really need another person suggesting the Yankees trade Ian Kennedy straight up for Roy Oswalt? It's ridiculous. There was nothing to talk about today in sports and still so few callers brought up the article.

Mike has had no comment, the two of them are not covering the Subway Series together, there is definitely something going on. Just because they have a contract does not mean that they couldn't walk away, that there could not be buyouts, etc.

Maybe the fans don't really care. Maybe people wouldn't mind Mike and Chris splitting up. Maybe people would like to see the return of the Sweater and the Schmooze?

If there was this sort of issue about a player, fans would be calling in all day talking about the same thing over and over and over again. Yet maybe four fans at most mentioned it.

TERRIBLE JOB.

Lt. Weinberg calls out Russo

Lt. Weinberg is being modest. He called into the FAN a little while ago and asked Russo straight up if he had spoken with Mike since the article. Russo was caught a bit off guard and could only muster up "No I haven't. I usually don't talk to Mike when we are on vacation." Uhh Doggie, I am guessing you usually don't wake up to stories of your show being history either when you guys are on vacation. He did offer up a weak "I should talk to Mike" at the end of the call. Good job Sam.

Yunel Escobar to blame for Mike and the Mad Dog breakup

Yunel Escobar, the rookie shortstop of the Atlanta Braves is one of the main issues listed by WFAN radio host Chris Russo for the reason behind the strife between him and his co-host, Mike Francesca. Chris said that he would take Escobar over Reyes and the brawl began and the marriage began to crumble.

Umm.. Yunel Escobar? Really?

When reached for comment Yunel Escobar said he had no idea who these two people were.

CHRIS SEGMENT ONE

Here we go with Chris segment one and he opens talking about his parking spot being gone. And then..

He GOES RIGHT AT IT.

"In the middle of making sure a two year old doesn't walk into the deep end of the pool.. and lamenting losing a tennis match, Neil Best gives me him a call."

Russo said that from Easter until May 9th, Mike and he were having BIG issues, including the Manny Ramirez debate, the Youkulis issue at Belmont, the Yankee Stadium bathroom issue, Shaq to the Phoenix Suns and the Spurs in the finals. Russo said that Mike and he were called into Chernoff's office to discuss their issues and they both apologized to each other, and since then, Chris was under the impression that things were ok (despite a few other arguments since then) and was shocked to see the article in the paper. He maintains they are under contract and that is that.

The big issue still lingering here is that Mike refused to comment and we don't have his word on this. Chris can we get Mike on today to discuss the issue? Or can you give your response to Mike's "no comment."

DOES CHRIS MENTION THE ARTICLE?

We are just minutes away.. the big question is does Chris mention the Neil Best article? My opinion is he does not bring it up but waits till a caller mentions it. First Time Long Time believes that Chris will bring it up.

Just moments away.. We will see what happens... If you do call in please bring it up. Let's make Mike and Chris deal with it. And do not hold off on Mike, he has to deal with it too especially since it looks like he is the issue. This Friday, Mike solo, needs to take the heat on this.

WFAN EXEC: Russo/Francesa Break-Up May Be True

WFAN executives reached this morning confirmed the possible break-up of the wildly successful Mike and the Mad Dog radio show. One insider actually pointed to Chris Russo as the culprit. "Russo just hasn't been putting up the same effort in recent months and it has really gotten on Mike's nerve," reports one WFAN exec, who asked to remain nameless. Apparently, several things have set off Francesa. Our insider suggested that a heated debate about the bathrooms at the new Yankee Stadium initiated this feud (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Eft3Q_zO6NE). "Mike was livid. He simply needs better bathrooms. It’s vital. Here at WFAN we have a bathroom that only he uses, it’s part of his contract. He actually was in on the designs for the new bathrooms at the stadium.” Francesa was further enraged last week when Russo was quoted as saying "Bronson Arroyo is terrible." Arroyo, as loyal listeners know, is represented by Russo's co-host Mike Francesa. "For Chris to call out Arroyo like that really agitated Mike. Mike was so annoyed that he tried to call in to the show, but the lines were busy and he couldn't get through," continued the WFAN exec we spoke with. But it all came to a head on Friday, reports our source. "I think the straw that broke the camel's back was when Chris had Ryan Braun on the show as a guest. Mike was off that day, but was listening and immediately called in to complain about the Braun spot to WFAN hierarchy. Mike, like much of the listening audience had no clue why Russo would have a conversation with Braun. He felt it was simply the most terrible of terrible jobs and no longer wants to work with someone who would interview Ryan Braun when he could’ve talked with Jim Nantz for the 15th time in two weeks or Jon Heyman for the 900th time this month.” Stay tuned for further updates.

More on Mike and the Mad Dog Breakup

Neil Best continues reporting on the possible Mike and the Mad Dog breakup

http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spbest235739050jun23,0,2265963.column

Best reinforces his belief that this not simply a contract negotiation tactic but rather the real deal.

Chris will have to address the issue. Callers were asking Malusis about it late last night.

The big question for fans of the show is what do you think should happen if Mike and Chris split? I would think that one of them will likely go to Sirus and get their own show. I also for some reason think that Chris would stay. Mike probably thinks he has a lot of tv options, maybe he does something for the NFL Network and then does a Sirus radio show.

If Chris remained I do not believe that he should have his own show, so who would you partner with Russo?
What in your opinion happens to Mike?

Mike and the Mad Dog History?

Neil Best is reporting that Mike and the Mad Dog could be history:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spmike0622,0,842426.story

So what do we make of this? Can this possibly be true? I'm a bit stunned that this could remotely be true. Chime in. What are you thoughts?

Chris on All-Star Voting

Chris just compared voting on the All-Star Game to voting for the President of the country. Chris is upset that internet users can vote 25 times online for a player. His response "Can you vote for the President 25 times? You should not be able to do that." Uhh Doggie, not sure that you should be comparing voting for the starting shortstop in the National League to the person that is going to run our country. These two things might, and I stress might, be a tad different.

Ryan Braun???????????

Um, Chris is interviewing Ryan Braun right now. Lt. Weinberg and I were just trying to figure out why in the world that is. Are the Brewers in town playing the Mets? No. Are the Mets in Milwaukee playing the Brewers? No. Are the Brewers in town playing the Yankees? No. Are the Yanks in Milwaukee playing the Brewers? No. Did Chris get confused and think that Braun plays for the Reds? Not sure. Was Braun promoting a charity for kids? No. Is Braun a tennis aficionado here to talk Wimbledon with Dog? No. Does anyone else have a clue as to why Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun is on with Chris?

MILKSHAKE IS NOT GOING TO CUT IT

Mr Russo begins today's solo show with talk of his with his kids on Syosset. The big debate was the naming of his childrens new hamster. His daughter surrounded by too many male Russo children wanted to go with a girl's name but only came up with Theodore. To which Russo said "Hold on now, Theodore is not a girl's name." Timmy, did a terrible job and brought the name Milkshake. Russo answered his son suggestion with the words "Milkshake is not going to cut it."

The idea of picturing Chris with three kids, Scooby Do movies going, arguements about the hamsters name while driving in traffic is priceless.

What do you think the Russo children should name their hamster?

Some suggestions:
1. Terrible Job
2. Pac Man Jones
3. Pipe down

Chris is Watching All My Children

With Mikey gone, Chris has taken his spot in the grown-ups chair. But the fascinating thing here, is that on the TV over Russo's shoulder is the soap "All My Children." I never knew Chris was a fan of the show. If Chris was going to be on a Soap Opera, which one would you want to see him on?

Slow Day

Today is no doubt going to be a slow day for the MMD show. Mike is out, leaving Dog to fly solo today. The Mets didn't play last night. The Yanks game from yesterday has already been covered. No NBA talk. No big golf tournament. It is going to be interesting to see how Russo gets through 5 plus hours today. So with the slow nature of the day in mind, Lt. Weinberg was pondering this question: Who do you think is the better 20/20 update guy - Mr. Met Bob Heussler or John Minko? Weigh in with your thoughts and also let us know which of them you think would make the better talk show host...

WWCJS (What would Colonel Jessep Say...This is the section where Colonel Jessep responds to a pressing question from the show today)

Today we extend the boundaries just a bit. Mikeandthemadblog (serving as Lt. Kaffe) grills Mikefrancesa.com (serving as Kendrick) about why they originally tried to kill our site:

MIKEANDTHEMADBLOG
Mikefrancesa.com, can I call you MF.Com?

MIKEFRANCESA.COM
No, you may not.

MIKEANDTHEMADBLOG
Have I done something to offend you?

MIKEFRANCESA.COM
No, I like all you mike and the mad dog blogs. Every time we've gotta go someplace and fight mike and chris , you fellas always give it a try.

MIKEANDTHEMADBLOG
Mikefrancesa.com, do you think our blog was nearly murdered?

MIKEFRANCESA.COM
mikeandthemadblog, I believe in God, and in his son Jesus Christ, and because I do, I can say this: Your blog was almost dead and that's a tragedy. But it almost died because you had no code. Your blog was nearly over because you had no honor. And the Admin was watching.

Mikefrancesa.com Has Acknowledged Us

HERE IS THE LINK: http://mikefrancesa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4102

HERE IS THE MESSAGE POSTED:

http://mikeandthemadblog.blogspot.com/

http://mikeandthemadblog.blogspot.com/

Looks like the website is mad because I deleted a thread where a new poster advertised the blog.

Sorry guys, that was a quick reaction to what I thought was spam. Didn't mean to tramp all over the little guy.

So here you go, free publicity for your website, good luck.

AND HERE ARE SOME COMMENTS ON THAT SITE ABOUT US

"We might be bloated established guys resting on our laurels, but its better than the inane rantings of a desperate queen down the dial."

"handwave those peons"

"tell em to shine my shoes"

So, loyal mikeandthemadblog fans, how shall we respond?

BRONSON ARROYO MUSIC TO MIKE'S EARS?

We here at Mike and the Mad Dog Blog have been wondering, thinking, pondering and then wondering again about why Mr Francesca loves Bronson Arroyo so much. Well, we did a little internet CSI on Mr Arroyo and peeled back the layers and found out why Arroyo is music to Mike's ears.

This from Wikipedia: In 2005, Bronson Arroyo released his debut album, Covering the Bases. It included covers from bands such as Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and Foo Fighters. The album also includes the Red Sox victory song Dirty Water by The Standells, in which Arroyo is accompanied by Johnny Damon, Lenny DiNardo, and Kevin Youkilis. He also taught Kevin Millar how to play guitar and performed vocals for the song Tessie as covered by the Dropkick Murphys. ******

He taught Kevin Millar how to play guitar!!!! This is HUGE. Let's connect the dots here.

Mike wants Millar on the Mets. Could he be representing both Millar (who Tony Bernazard does not like) and Arroyo?
The Yankees have been without a guitar player since Bernie Williams (who Mike definitely has a man crush on)
Bernie Williams had an album called the Journey Within. Arroyo's is called Covering the Bases.

It's not about the pitching, it's about the MUSIC. Glad we cleared this up

DO NOT RIP ON BRONSON ARROYO

Bill, a man with dreams, a job, maybe a wife and a kid and a simple opinion that Bronson Arroyo is perhaps not the best fit for the New York Yankees called in and said that he does not believe that Bronson Arroyo is a good pitcher for the Yankees.

There was a rumbling that emerged for the WFAN offices in Astoria, Queens that some would compare to Mt St Helens. How dare anyone say the great Bronson Arroyo is not a good pitcher. He has an over 5 ERA and he got killed last night (which Mike was unaware of) yet somehow he is the perfect pitcher for this team and how dare anyone, anyone say anything negative about the great Bronson Arroyo?

Bill will now simply hang up the phone, return to his simple life, with his simple opinions and never again speak of the great Bronson Arroyo.

.

SUMMERTIME LAZY BUMS

Every frickin' year, Mike and the Mad Dog do the same thing. They basically take off 5-7 weeks. Today, Mike is alone. Who knows where Chris is? Countdown to Saratoga opening at the end of July and you'll get lots of Doggy on his own. Who was the exec at WFAN who okayed this deal? What are Mike and Dog European? This is America. We work in this country.

Tony Bernazard is the Devil

Me, First Time Long Time and Gman were having a discussion via email, (because really who talks on the phone anymore?) about the Tony Bernazard issue with the Mets and after first falling in line with First Time Long Time who believes that Bernazard is the reason why the Mets make awful base running decisions, don't hit in the clutch and Billy Wagner can't get a big save in a big spot, I changed my tune after reading the words of the GMAN which basically stated that only in New York do we give the assistant to the General Manager this much attention.

Yes, maybe he has a lot of pull in the organization, maybe he and Manuel were talking behind Willie's back but in the end does it really matter? Willie was not a good manager. He deserved to be fired. Yes, the Mets handled it poorly. Yes, they should've done things differently but that doesn't change the fact that since late last year (or June if you believe Gary Cohen) the Mets have not played good ball and Willie takes the fall.

Why are we talking so much about Bernazard? I would say that part of the reason is because Mike and Chris have made this a huge issue and Mike and Chris don't like him. Yes, the papers are reporting it, but I do believe that Mike and Chris are fanning the flames.

"In this passion play, he is the other figure.. the Wilpons, Omar, and Bernazard," Mike said.

Who cares? In how many cities do the fans have any idea who the assistant to the GM is? This to me is no different than the Joba fist pump issue, Mike and Chris are creating it, the newspapers are running with it, and away we go...

JOBA FIST PUMP: DID MIKE APPROVE?

Day baseball at Yankee Stadium.. Second inning, bases loaded and no out. Joba got out of it and after striking the batter out went to the much criticized fist pump.

Since there was so much criticism of Joba's fist pumping during his time in the bullpen, much of it led by Mike and Chris, I wondered whether this was going to be a "good fist pump" or a "bad fist pump."

I waited anxiously for Mike's analysis.. I waited.. I waited... NOTHING. Did Mike miss the fist pump? Has he as, First Time Long Time reported in the previous post, changed his tune completely on Joba. Will we soon hear that Mike loves the fist pump?

Still i am waiting, I am not sure how to feel about this Joba fist pump. Good or bad? Bush league or product of emotion? What is it Mike, please tell me so then and only then will i cheer or boo this display or either good or bad emotion by Joba.

Did Mike Just Really Say This?

"The way things worked out, the yankees needed Joba in the starting rotation."

Uhh, Mike, you killed this move over and over again and killed the callers who praised this move. Now you just had the audacity to say that "the yankees needed Joba in the starting rotation." Yes, you did say "give the Yankees credit" but where was the following line "I was mistaken." Cmon Mikey. You thing people are going to buy your take on this? And then because any day wouldn't be complete without an Arroyo mention, Mike got it out of the way early: "I'd like to see them go get Bronson Arroyo." Coming off unprepared again, he then asked Eddie Erickson when Arroyo pitches again and Eddie told him he pitched last night. A simple look at the box scores in any paper would have told you that Mikey. And then he brushed off Bronson's bad performance that Eddie just told him about "I still like him." Shocking.

SIDNEY PONSON AIN'T MAKING MIKE HAPPY

I know Bronson Arroyo, Bronson Arroyo is a friend of mine.. Sidney Ponson, you are no Bronson Arroyo!"

The Yankees made their first big move to replace Wang and who did they pick up? Well, Mike is not going to be happy because it ain't Bronson Arroyo. It's Sidney Ponson, who the Rangers a team with some of the worst pitching in the league cast aside. But while Mike might be quick to blast the signing and say that Arroyo is better than Ponson just look up the numbers. Ponson despite the fact that everyone on his team seem to hate him was a better pitcher than Arroyo thus far... but not sure that is going to please the Yankees real GM Mike Francesca.

By the way, I just googled (did you know that "google" is officially a verb in the dictionary?) Bronson Arroyo and this was the first site that came up.

http://www.bronsonarroyo.com/ It's a little bit odd that Bronson's own site has him still in a Red Sox uniform on the front page, you know Mike is not going to tolerate that. Also Mike might want to know that baseball reference.com list Carl Pavano as the pitcher most like Bronson Arroyo. That is not going to make Mike happy.

Many time Long time

First time just went on the show and destroyed Mike and the Mad Dog. Called them 'Ill-informed' for not knowing the Willie Randolph quotes from the New York Times. Well struck, FTLT.

To DH or not to DH, that is the Question

In the midst of one of the busiest sports days in recent memory - the Mets awful handling of the Willie Randolph firing, the red hot Yankees, the conclusion of the NBA Finals, Tiger's season ending surgery, Mike and Chris have broken into a very heated debate about which league is a better style of baseball - the NL with no DH or the AL with DH. Chris is fighting hard for the NL, saying it is a much better brand of baseball. Mike is annoyed at the NL elitists, suggesting that the NL is the only league anywhere that has pitchers hit, so why is that the right and better way to do things. The absurd thing about this debate is that it is even happening today in the middle of everything else that is going on. Mike and Chris really do live in their own bubble.

Tricky Spot

Mike and the Mad Dog are in a tricky spot with today's show. There are lots of topics to talk about. The stench of the hangover from the Willie Randolph firing will no doubt garner some discussion. But lo and behold, the greatest athlete on the planet might have jeopardized his career by gutting out a US Open victory. I'm sure MMD will weigh in on that. It should lead to the question - If Tiger Woods never played another competitive round of golf, would he be considered better than Jack? Also, with the Celtics drubbing the Lakers for their 17th NBA title, it's time for the boys to pretend that they never picked the Lakers. They'll do this by piling on Kobe and Phil Jackson. 'Horrible job out of the Lakers'. As usual, they'll focus on the negative. The Celts didn't win the series. The Lakers lost it. In any regard, it's a nice followup sports day to yesterday's drama.

Russo KILLS Omar

Say what you want about Mike and the Mad Dog, but that interview with Omar just now was the reason that they are a must listen in moments like this. Russo thundered away at Omar, much the way Kaffe did with Jessep. Mike backed off and let Chris do the dirty work, as he always does in these spots. God forbid Mike ruins his personal relationship with Omar. To me, Russo did a TERRIFIC job here and Mike looked like a weasel. Your thoughts?

What We've Learned from the Press Conference

As we wait for the showdown of Omar vs Mike and Chris we have learned a few things from the press conference

1. Omar Minaya is not a good speaker
2. Omar Minaya is a hugger
3. Bobby Cox has a special hiding spot at Shea Stadium
4. Jerry Manuel likes to start every answer with "that's a very good question"

I am hoping that Mike and Chris ask some better questions than the press just did.

What did you learn? Anything?

Mike Knows Something...

I am convinced that Francesca knows something.. he made a sly comment in the middle of the debate of whether it was Wilpons call or Omar's call on Willie's firing.

Mike said "How do you know that Willie and Omar didn't exchange words?"

That is the kind of thing that Francesca tosses out without backing up but I believe means that he knows something behind the scenes.

The big question is what happened that causes the firing to happen on Monday night? The Mets won the game. Why fire him then? Chris also said that John Heyman told him that Omar told Willie on the bus that his job was safe.

If what Heyman says is true (and who knows if it was), then what happened in between the bus ride and a win over one of the top teams in baseball to cause Willie to get fired?

Did Omar go in to talk to Willie post game and Willie got annoyed, said some things, was feeling a little cocky after two straight wins and basically told Omar to shove it. Omar got pissed since he has been defending Willie all this time and in an act of frustration fired Willie?

I believe Mike knows something. I just think he is the cat who ate the canary and he is close to Omar and I believe that he is trying to leak that something went down.

The Absurdity is Crazy

In the middle of the open of MMD today, Mike made an awkward transition to a sponsored interview with Derek Jeter. Now hold on a minute. Willie Randolph just got fired in the middle of the night, in what the national media is calling one of the most atrocious moves in managerial history. And they have to go to a Derek Jeter interview 5 minutes into the show? Are you kidding me? I don't care if this was the only time Jeter could do it. Say you are not interested and just read the promo for the event. Going to Jeter in the middle of that segment is a complete and utter HORRIFIC job by Mike and the Mad Dog. They would kill other broadcasters for doing the same thing.

HOW WILL MIKE AND THE MAD DOG HANDLE TODAY?

Now that we have all had some time to digest the Willie firing, the question now turns to Mike and the Mad Dog and what is likely to be a show that is not to be missed.

How many times will Chris say "THIS IS A TRAVESTY." Or "Mike come on, this is an awful job." Or "How can you PUT HIM ON THE PLANE?" Or "FIRE HIM ON SATURDAY OMAR?" or "YOU HAD A WHOLE WEEKEND."

The first segment of the show we need vintage MMD, we need Russo fired up and screaming, we need the same from Mike.

Will the Mets throw Omar to the wolves and let Mike and Chris have at them during a post press conference interview? If so, close the door to your office, get your headphones on, and get ready for some fireworks because if Mike and Chris do one thing well it's beating up on people like Omar in situations like this. It's almost like it's their opportunity to lash out for all the times people picked on them when they were kids. Omar will get destroyed.

Remember, Omar disobeyed Mike's order that Willie could not be fired after June 16th and that's not going to make Mike happy.

Get ready sports fans, this should be a good one. You have any thoughts on what's going to happen today? Let's us know..

Colonel Willard gets his man

Just like in Apocalypse Now, the journey down a river strewn with madness and death ended last night for Willie Randolph. As Willie sat in his room at the Sheraton Anaheim with his forehead beading with sweat, Omar Minaya slid into the room to finish off the Mets manager:

WILLIE

“They say why..., Omar, why they wanted to terminate my

command ?"

OMAR

" They told me that you had gone totally insane and that your

methods were unsound."

WILLIE

" Are my methods unsound?"

OMAR

" I don't see any method at all, sir."

WILLIE

" Are you an assassin?"

OMAR

" I'm a General Manager."

WILLIE

" You're neither. You're an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks

to collect a bill."

The Horror. The Horror.

Willie Randolph Fired

Contrary to what Mike Francesa reported yesterday, apparently a manager can be fired after June 16. MMD blog fans - forgive me for a moment - for I happen to be a diehard New York Mets fan and I need to use this forum to attack the Wilpon family for their atrocious and TERRIBLE handling of the Willie Randolph firing. Here's a few things to consider:

- Why in the world would you FUCKING fly the guy to California, then play a good game against a great team, win the game, and then fire him? (after winning 3 out of 4 games no less)

- So were you saying you were unhappy that they took 2 out of 3 from Texas? Apparently not. So if you were going to fire him after winning the series versus Texas, then why on earth wouldn't you fire him BEFORE the Texas series, after they lost 2 heartbreakers to Arizona? And then if you missed the boat on that, why wouldn't you at least wait to the Mets lost a game or two on this roadtrip, which they are sure to do? (side point: How much do you think Omar was rooting for an Arizona 9th inning comeback last night off Wagner to justify the firing? Sorry Omar, it don't work like that).

- If you thought by doing this at 3AM, that you were going to avoid the backpage stories here in NY, think again. Because the print media is going to fire missiles tomorrow and the next day and the next. Don't piss off the media in New York.

- Who the fuck is running this ship - the Wilpons or Omar? To me, this is totally and completely a Wilpon move. Omar would not have wanted to fire Willie because now the focus falls on him. This was the Wilpons making Omar their puppet.

- Jerry Manuel as the savior? Really? Seriously? C'mon now?

- The Mets did one thing very well here. They turned Willie into a martyr. People who were calling for his head are now rallying around him.

- The Mets organization (Fred, Jeff, Omar) are a complete and utter joke. They are pathetic. The Mets had actually started to turn things around. Here's something to chew on. If Billy Wagner actually does his job last week and holds onto THREE multiple run leads, the Mets would have been winners of 7 out of their last 8 games and 5 out of their last 6 series. But now as a Mets fan, I find myself in a position where I am going to root against them the rest of the season. Now you may think why would I do that? The reason is that I don't want Omar and the Wilpons getting credit for turning things around, when the team actually had already started to turn things around. Also, I don't want Jerry Manuel as our manager and if the Mets put up decent numbers the rest of the way, that is exactly what will happen as the Wilpons will not want to dish out more money to another manager and will instead keep the cheap Manuel on board.

Meet the Mess. Greet the Mess. Step right up and beat the Mess.

WILLIE RANDOLPH CAN'T BE FIRED AFTER JUNE 16th

I know, i know.. you thought.. can't a manager be fired any time the team decides? If it is April 15th, May 15th, June 15th or any other day, can't a team fire their manager on any day of any month?

NOPE. It's June 16th and because the Mets have handled the Willie Randolph situation so poorly, they are according to Mike and the Mad Dog, no longer allowed to fire him. The deadline has past. As of June 16th, 2008 the Mets organization no longer has the ability to fire Willie Randolph.

This afternoon Willie Randolph was asked if he was concerned about his job security.

"Shit, no," replied a very relaxed Willie Randolph. "It's June fucking 16th, they can't fire me anymore. They had their shot but they didn't do it. I said some crazy shit and we lose a lot and I've made some damn stupid decisions but for some reasons, those dudes, the Wilpons and Omar, they couldn't get their shit together and fire me and now it's June 16th and everyone knows, you can't fire Willie past June 16th! You thought that shit i said to Ian O'Connor was crazy, oh wait till you see me now. Woo-how.. JUNE 16th. You can't touch me now."

When asked to comment about the June 16th deadline, Mets GM Omar Minaya said "I don't know what you are talking about. There is no such deadline."

Minaya was then told that Mike and the Mad Dog reported it at 1:48 on WFAN.
"Fuck!" Minaya exclaimed. "I must have missed something in the contract. I was going to fire Willie yesterday but it was father's day and I felt bad and then I figured I would let him get on the plane to LA because I knew that they were showing Shawshank Redemption on the flight and Willie really loves that movie. I figured right after the flight was over I would tell Willie that he could just stay on the plane and head back home and fire him but now I am screwed. The Wilpons are going to be so pissed."

Minaya clearly frustrated began to exit and before leaving the room and turned and yelled "Did Mike and Chris say anything about Peterson or HoJo because I got to fire someone. Someone get Mike and Chris on the phone, I gotta find out if I can fire the coaches after June 16th."

Minaya then attempted to call into WFAN but the phone line was busy.

Mike on Rocco Mediate

On Friday, Mike said that he could not take Rocco Mediate seriously. That he couldn't worry about him in this tournament. 3 days later and now that he is tied with Tiger with 4 holes left in a playoff, Mike said that Rocco has the right "temperament" to play with Tiger. He "won't get scared." Good job sticking to what you originally said Mike.

TEE OFF ON MIKEFRANCESA.COM

anonymous posted a message looking for a place to post anti-Mikefrancesa.com comments, so here it is. Let us know what you don't like about them. In case you are new here, they banned us from posting on their site because they apparently disagreed with the notion that there could be multiple MMD sites on the internet. Fire away at them...

I Don't Have a Problem with That

Mike just said "I Don't have a problem with that" about the Rays trying to trade for CC Sabathia. Good news Tampa. Mike has given you the go-ahead. You have his blessing.

Mike takes issue with Denzel Washington

Just complained about Denzel saying he "wears those stupid Yankee hats out in LA"

Apparently, to wear a Yankee hat, one must reside in New York. Bombers fans, remember that. If you leave the state, Mike implies you must leave your hat behind. Don't be caught with one in Los Angeles.

Does Mike Know Something We Don't?

Francesa is flying solo today and opened with this statement:

"The mets clearly were in a position here where they had to do something. You reach a point where if you are a Minaya something major has to occur."

Um, what are we missing MIkey? Did someone get the ax or get fired?

ALL BY HISSELF

With Francesa on his own today, the great debate rages on. When is the Mike and the Mad Dog show best - Mike alone, Dog alone, or them together? If I get nostalgic about things, I go back to the 90's when there was real tension between the two. They did not like each other. As a result, when they would do solo shows back then, it was almost a relief. We didn't have to worry about mom and dad fighting. So, I liked them alone a lot better back then. Now, I'm not so sure. I think they've found a groove. One thing is sure, is when Mike is alone, he's a lot nicer. Not nice, but nicer. When Russo is around, he doesn't have to concentrate on the radio stuff. Dog has the kill switch. So Mike can tee off on callers, while Dog holds their arms. Alone, Mike doesn't have as much bite. In that way, he very much is like a child. With his best buddy, they can be cool together and beat up on weaker kids. But alone, it's like he wants approval. Which dynamic do you like the best?

Fear Mongers

With the Mets losing a devastating game this afternoon, the anticipation of the show is palpable. This is the type of situation where Mike and the Mad Dog thrive. When there is great drama with a New York sports team, they know how to stir the pot. They know how to take the temperature of the New York fan and exploit the heightened emotions. Today, they will no doubt be symbolically handing out pitchforks and torches to Mets fans who want to burn down Shea. It is truly the best time to listen because they know how to push that button. FTLT just told me that he won't listen to MMD today. That's how broken up he is. Mike and Dog know that. And they will twist the knife. And we all will love it. Enjoy!

THE CALL THAT WASN'T MEANT TO BE

So yesterday I spent a good hour trying to get through to Mike and the Mad Dog. Francesa had gone too far in my mind. He opened the show early suggesting that the Mets do something major. Russo speculated that aside from Willie, the only player you could really trade that was major was Delgado. But no, that wasn't good enough for Mikey. He suggested that the Mets trade Reyes, and later in the show even commented that Reyes "is having a bad year." So since my call didn't go through, here's how it likely would have gone down:

ME: Hey guys, can you give me a glimpse into the Mike and the Mad Dog Pre show production meeting? I mean, do you guys just twiddle your thumbs and say to each other 'how we can stir up some controversy today'..'Well Dog, I can throw out the idea of trading Reyes...'

RUSSO: What's your point.

ME: If i caller would have called in 2 days ago and suggested that the Mets trade Reyes, you would have absolutely killed him.

FRANCESA: Whoa. Why would we do that?

ME: Cmon Mike. Are you kidding me? Let me ask you a question. When the Yanks were 12 1/2 games out last year, how come I didn't hear you concocting deals to get rid of Cano?

FRANCESA: The Yanks have been in the playoffs EVERY YEAR!!!!

ME: What does that have to do with trading a 25 year old shortstop who is on pace to hit .290, 20HR, 75 RBI, score 110 runs and steal 60 bases...How many other 25 year old shortstops are there in baseball with those numbers!!!!

RUSSO: Ahh, listen here. The Mets need to do something

FRANCESA: Are you listening to me? Were you listening? I'm not saying give the guy away. You need to get a star back.

ME: Mike, why in the world you ever trade a player of that caliber, at that age, at that contract? And the best part is, Mike, one of your trades that you suggested for Reyes was to send him Toronto for a pitcher and Vernon Wells. First of all, you can't even name the pitcher, which again if a caller did that, you would go beserk, and secondly, Vernon Wells - like the Mets really need another aging, injury prone outfielder?

FRANCESA: Vernon Wells is a good player. Just ask the Yankees.

ME: Can we all just relax!!! Can we wait to the All Star break at least before we trade away one of the best shortstops and infielders in baseball? Can we?

RUSSO: Ahh right. Fair point. Fair point.

ME: I mean, while we're at it, why don't we get Japan on the phone and see if we can deal Willie for Bobby V. I mean CMON guys!!!

GET READY FOR GOLF ON THE RADIO

Hey sports fans, ever find yourself walking around, wondering.. "what would golf play by play sound like on the radio?" Well, you are a lucky sports fan today because with the US Open beginning this afternoon, you will definitely get a chance to hear some golf play by play by Mike and the Mad Dog.

The unfortunate thing is that Mike and Chris are not very good at play by play of any sport (See this link of them doing play by play of Georgetown v Villanova: http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/03/audio-highlights-from-mike-and-mad-dogs.html )

Also, if you are watching the show on YES today you will be able to see Mike simply watching the golf the entire day, while Russo just waits for Mike to give him updates.

Get ready for a fun day of US Open Golf on the radio, brought to you by Mike and the Mad Dog.

MIKE, THE YANKEES ARE NOT GOOD

According to the Mike and the Mad Dog show the Yankees have the league exactly where they want them. They just play mediocre baseball for a half and then they get ready to set the world on fire. And i know Mike that the Yankees have gotten nothing out of Pettitte and Wang, but is that really true? Umm.. Wang is 7-2. I believe that's a bit more than nothing. And maybe i am in the minority but i don't believe that we are going to see some huge second half surge from Pettitte.

What bothers me about Mike and Chris' coverage of the Yankees is that the only issue that they get upset about with the team is when it deals with Joba. They know this fans the flames with the fans so they talk about that but outside of the Joba issue which i am completely tired of, the Yankees get a pass.

Mike, you want to know what the Yankees have become? An 8th seed NBA playoff team. Yeah, maybe they will make the playoffs and ownership will make some money selling extra tickets, but will they do any damage in October? Not a chance. For all these years with the tragedy of the Knicks, i have simply wanted them to not make the playoffs. There is no point in being an 8th seed and I feel the same way about the Yankees. Miss the playoffs, change the roster, get younger on the field. They are just not that good...

Now HOLD ON NOW... Mike is going to say THE YANKEES DO NOT PLAY FOR NEXT YEAR. Besides that point being completely arrogant, it's also ignorant. For every franchise, even the New York Yankees, you sometimes have to take steps back and rebuild. The Yankees may be able to be a playoff team for years and years, and lose in the first round year after year, but to really become a championship team again, I do not believe that this is the path.

Why not be sellers rather than buyers. Sell off Giambi and Damon (i know blasphemy), get some high end prospects that set the path for the future and then go for another real run, not this mirage.

Mike, the Yankees are not good. It's time to start believing it.

This show is an Enigma

Just like the Mets, the Mike and the Mad Dog show today is a bit of an enigma. They start the show throwing cold water on the whole NBA mess and seguing straight into the Mets. But then they spend the majority of the day on the NBA and gambling. Then for some reason, Mike decides to read groups and tee times from the US Open tomorrow. As if I can't fucking crack open a newspaper or pull that shit up on ESPN. They need some better stuff to talk about. Hopefully a Met will get busted in the parking lot with an ounce or Jeter comes down with the Clap from all that tail he gets.

Russo boner of the day:
"Europeans have won the last 4 US Opens." Um, wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong. Unless Europe has annexed Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina, then by my count, there are zero European winners in the last 4 years. Where is their producer in all this? Does he just sit there knowing that he's dead wrong and not tell him? I guess he figures it's a waste of time.

A little Sunshine

On Mike and the Mad Dog today, MMD lackey Jon Heyman came on and started spelling out doom and gloom for the Yankees. That's when Mike said he was going to bring 'a little sunshine' to the Yankees. He then makes the argument that the Yankees haven't gotten anything from Pettitte or Wang, so they'll be all right eventually. First off, when I think of Mike Francesa, 'sunshine' is not the first word that comes to mind. Second, how long can he stand by his guns that the Yankees are going to be all right? He's not even entertaining the idea. Your passion is compelling Mike, but Yankee fans needed a realist today. (by the way, you should have heard Heyman thunder into Russo about Beltran wanting to 'blend in'. Perhaps he's been reading First Time's criticisms.)

Russo on Matt Lauer

you've got to hand it to Dog. I mean, a great New York Giant and Super Bowl champ retired today. The Mets can't get out of their own way. Ryan Church is now on the DL and the Mets botched the handling of that. The Yankees are only at .500. Game 3 of the NBA Finals is tonight. So what is Doggie fixated on today? You guessed it...Matt Lauer's round of 100 on the US Open course:

"I'll have to look at Lauer's swing and see what you think...Here's the thing I would say...Can he shoot a 95 out there?? Can he shoot a 95? This is a guy who says he breaks 80 consistently. I'll give you an extra stroke a hole. Can you shoot a 95?

Mike: I think that's fair. I think that's fair.

Francesa on Strahan

We found out early the tone of things concerning Mike and the Mad Dog and Strahan. Mike started the show with this statement:

"We'll open with Strahan so everyone out there who thought that we wouldn't just to be petty will lose their bets. So the guys who were out there saying 'No way will Mike and the Mad Dog open with Strahan because of their relationship' all lost their bets because we will open with Strahan."

The key thing here to notice is that Mike said that they would open with it just to spite everyone that said they wouldn't. But that is the only reason. They are not opening with the Strahan retirement because they doom it news-worthy. They are doing so to prove all the naysayers wrong. Classic MMD.

Update: At 1:12PM, while discussing Strahan's possible future doing analyst work on a network's pre-game shows, Francesa declared: "Take a slot on one of the pre-game shows, that's all. That's what he's meant to do, I mean, I have no problem with that."

Thanks Mike. Now that we know you have no problem with that, we'll give Strahan the heads-up that you have ok'd his move to television.

Mike and the Mad Dog vs Strahan

With Strahan formally announcing his retirement today and with a relatively slow day in NY sports, will MMD be forced to talk about Strahan today? This is going to be fascinating to watch. And if they do talk about him, how often will they reference "you know we never got along." Stay tuned.

What would Captain Willard Say?

With the 4-game sweep to the lowly Padres, Willie Randolph might be in
grave danger of losing his job again. Colonel Willard left the Wilpon's office with his orders:

At first, I thought they handed me the wrong dossier. I couldn't believe they wanted this man fired. Second baseman New York Yankees, 6 All-Star games, 2 World Series rings. About 2,000 hits. Etc, etc... I'd heard his claim of racism and it really put a hook in me. But I couldn't connect up that claim with this man. Like they said he had an impressive career. Maybe too impressive... I mean perfect. When he was a bench coach with the Yankees, he was being groomed for one of the top slots of the Organization. Manager, GM, anything... In 2001 he returned from a scouting trip in Florida and things started to slip. The report to the Yankees Brass was restricted. Seems they didn't dig what he had to tell them. During the next few months he made three requests for transfer to the River Dogs in Charleston. The River Dogs? He was 48 years old. Why the fuck would he do that ?

What I like about Mike and the Mad Dog

Their interview today with Stick Michael. They got on him about who in the Yankee organization could have ever possibly liked Hawkins and Farnsworth enough to bring them to NY. They were all having fun with it, but the point was made and it was fun to watch Michael try to squirm away from the question. I don't see that exchange happening on other talks shows. I just don't. Now Mike always lets Chris do the firing away, but it was still a great segment.

FRANCESA KILLING WAGNER

Mike opened the show today and was firing missiles. Now one might think that perhaps the big man was directing those at the Mets offense for scoring 3 runs in the first 3 games vs San Diego. But no, Mikey turned his attention to the Mets closer:

"If you’re billy wagner, there are days you can’t blow the game. You CAN'T blow yesterday’s game!!"

Francesa continued the tirade for a bit. Now here's my issue with this. If this was just a straight up criticism, that would be fair (as Wagner deserves that), but anyone who knows Mike, knows that he personally hates Billy, and that point comes off as very evident during these outbursts. Last night Mike started Mic'd Up the same way, saying Billy Wagner, "who has a big mouth" blew up again. Now Mike, why is it necessary to point out that you think Wagner has a big mouth? Did he say something yesterday? Did that impact the game? No. You don't like him and you love to pick on athletes that you don't like (Wagner, Strahan, etc.). In the position in the media that you are in, to me, it is extremely unprofessional when you let your biases come out in the open when discussing a player's performance. You would kill a broadcaster for not being objective. We don't need to hear your personal vendetta against a player when you are judging his performance.

Mike and the Mad Dog Headlines

Lt. Weinberg offered a glimpse at how the real headlines might affect MMD today. But now it's time for us to look at how MMD will respond to the big stories of the day. Gman offered these thoughts:

BIG BROWN
Francesa notes how Big Brown sweat more than he did. Russo definitely doesn’t trust Big Brown in a tough spot.

CELTICS TAKE 2-0 LEAD
Mike isn’t worried about his Lakers prediction. Dog is already jumping off the Lakers bandwagon. He doesn’t like Luke Walton in a tough or tricky spot.

MIKE TRANGHESE TO LEAVE THE BIG EAST IN 2009
MMD will do a full hour with Tranghese to discuss his legacy as Big East commissioner. Radios and TVs across the NY metropolitan area change the channel.

FRENCH OPEN
Russo will attempt to bring up Nadal’s 4th consecutive French Open. Mike will find a way to move past this subject.

STRAHAN RETIRES
MMD go over his legacy.
Plusses: 5th all-time in Sacks. Single-season record holder.
Minuses: Didn’t get along with Mike and Chris.

A new feature on Mike and the Mad Blog.. a look at the morning papers and the stories that might either provide good material when calling into Mike and the Mad Dog.. but also just the stories that we found interesting, worth reading in morning papers. We are just hitting the local ones for right now, meaning the Post, Daily News and the Times and maybe a peak at the Bergen Record in case Ian O'Connor and Willie have another chat.

Gooden didn't go deep into games either: A good article from Larry Brooks, who i usually hate, writing about how Doc Gooden didn't go deep into games as a rookie for the Mets.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06092008/sports/yankees/staying_patient_hardest_part_114632.htm

George Vescey not sold on this pitch count Joba experiment:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/sports/baseball/09vecsey.html?ref=sports

BELMONT: looks like they are blaming the dude that rode the horse in that race this weekend.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06092008/sports/bad_ride_by_jock_114652.htm

NBA Start Times Earlier:Dog will be happy about this one as David Stern is thinking about moving the NBA start times up
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/sports/basketball/09stern.html?ref=sports

Baseball might have lied about steroids? SHOCKING: an article in the Times adds more fuel to a never ending fire
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/sports/baseball/09drugs.html?ref=sports

Ryan Church: his head hurts: http://www.northjersey.com/sports/mets/Whats_going_on_with_Ryan_Churchs_head.html

And Away We Go..

Lots to talk about today in the world of sports. A lot for Mike and the Mad Dog to digest. If you are tuning in at 1:04PM for the open of the show, what topic are you guessing (or hoping) that MMD start out with:

A) The New York Mess (aka The Mets. The Willie Watch will be back on. Look for Mike to jump all over this team and deservedly so. Russo will surely drop a few "That's a TERRIBLE job out of the Mets..")

B) Joba's brilliant performance (I mean really, since when is 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings not the stuff of legend?)

C) Big Brown's Big Failure (Mike will surely explain how he knew this would happen or educate us on exactly what transpired)

D) French Open (Ok, we know this won't be the lead, but the bigger question is will Dog get this in his opening intro "A lot to talk about in the world of sports today. The Mets continue to be an enigma, ok Joba did his thing, Big Brown, great job out of Nadal...)

E) NBA Finals (MMD hate Kobe and are rooting for the Celtics so they could try to work this in early)

F) TBD Topic (this can range from Timmy's little league game to Francesa's complaining about the heat this weekend to Sal Licata's 3 for 4 day in his baseball league)

Mike's got the inside scoop on the Red Sox dugout brawl

Mike and Chris went at it today in one of the only non horse racing segments on the show while discussing the Red Sox in dugout brawl last night between Manny and Kevin Youkilis.

Before getting into what Mike revealed his sources told him were the reasons for the in dugout festivities, the arguement between Mike and Chris was classic because neither one of them was listening to the other.

This debate showed several things
1. Mike's source with the Red Sox is not a good one
2. Mad Dog's vibe on the makeup of the Red Sox is also not good. (maybe stick to the new york teams boys)

(this is an area that does drive me crazy, when Mike and Chris talk about a non new york sports team as if they know them as well.. news flash.. they don't)

1. Mike revealed that according to his source that the reason for the fight was that Youkilis was pissed that Manny didn't get out of the dugout soon enough to defend Coco Crisp (ala George Foster with the Mets many years ago). Mike stated this as fact and then went with it the entire segment. But ESPN.com reported something very different on their website.

A Red Sox source told ESPNdeportes.com that the cause of the dugout disagreement was Youkilis' temper following a poor at-bat.
"It all happened because Manny complained about Youkilis' habit of throwing bats, helmets and other objects in the dugout when he has a bad at-bat, something that has become a constant practice," the source said.
"Other players have told Youkilis in the past about the situation, which makes him look selfish and that he is more worried about each at-bat than about the team. If Boston is winning easily, there's no reason to throw objects all over the dugout because of a bad at-bat.

2. Russo's opinion was that the members of the Red Sox probably like Youkilis more than Manny because Manny is a goofball. Well, that doesn't appear to be the case, if you continue reading what was in the ESPN.com article.

"There was a meeting where the team let Youkilis know that many of his teammates were tired of his explosive reactions for each bad plate appearance. It became very bothersome … more so when the team is winning and it's in first place. There's not much room for individualistic attitudes."

A QUICK ASIDE.. and maybe this is me reaching, but i did feel that Russo was leaning towards the white players being the leaders of the team rather than Manny. In his examples he kept saying that players like Dustin Pedroia or Mike Lowell would be behind Youkilis more than Manny. Why would that be Chris?

A very odd heated arguement. When it was over and right before commercial i wondered what happens between Mike and Chris after those moments. Is there any residual ill feelings? Is it just for show? Who knows... I know one thing, i will be very excited when the Belmont is over.

Mike and the Mad Dog VS Bill Simmons

Mike and the Mad Dog have revisited the Bill Simmons and Bob Ryan Controversy today. They got all over the Sports Guy. Here is what they had to say:

Mike: I was very disheartened to learn that Bill Simmons thought Elgin Baylor was a point guard (Russo cracks up)
Russo: I mean Bill wouldn't know who Bailey Howell was, Mike Ramsey, any of these guys.
Mike: It really bothered me. He thought Elgin was a Point Guard.
Russo: I mean C'MON Bill, what are you gonna write about the Celtics and the Lakers and eliminate the 60s?? I mean, what the balloons and the Forum? 30 points and 40 rebounds for Russell in Game 7 in '62. Jerry West, I mean, what are you NUTS??
Mike: 61 and 22 for Baylor in Game 5 in the Boston Garden. 61 points and 22 rebounds. I mean, is that unbelievable? West averaged 40. Havlicek averaged like 37 in the series.
Russo: I mean, C'MON
Mike: That is unbelievable. Bill, come back to us.
Russo: Don Nelson's jumper at the Forum when it staved off the Lakers comeback...I know Boston won them all but the Lakers and Celtics was a GREAT rivalry in the '60s.
Mike: I'm afraid Bill now feels that since he has been accepted as mainstream media now that he is not allowed to be criticized.
Russo: What was the word you used for it before? He has a what?
Mike: Glass jaw
Russo: That's a tough comment
Mike: He's got a glass jaw. I mean I love Bill but he's got to toughen up a bit. He's got a bit of a glass jaw.
Russo: And leave Ryan alone. Bob's got enough heartache, he doesn't need to hear from you. Leave Bob alone for gods sakes!!
Mike: And Bob was upset cause you know Bill's little followers were bothering him so leave him alone.
Russo: What the 18-year-olds?
Mike: Yeah, they're bothering him, who have never heard of Elgin Baylor. They think Elgin Baylor was just a guy who showed up every year on the lottery show (laughing), didn't realize he played.
Russo: (laughing) Who put Bill Russell behind Pau Gasol (Laughing)
Mike: (Laughing) That's right and never heard of Frank Selby.
Russo: And don't know about that missed shot in Game 7 of '62
Mike: Never heard of Satch Sanders
Russo: TERRIBLE JOB BY SIMMONS!!!
Mike: The guy's got a glass jaw
Russo: He shows a lack of history. He talks about the Celtics and he's a Celtics fan, you tell me?
Mike: He's a Celtic crazy.
Russo: Well how can he eliminate the 60's between the Celtics and lakers!!!
Mike: And it's not a rivalry because the Celtics never lost? Now c'mon. C'mon, that's like saying Alydar and Affirmed was not a rivalry.
Russo: Or the Yankees and the Red Sox before 2004!
Mike: I mean c'mon. It's ridiculous. Bill, come back to us. Please.
Chris: Bill showed a couple things you don't like there.
Mike: Bill, come back to us.
Russo: A lack of knowledge most of all.
Mike: Bill, come back to us.

Umm, Mike, Chris. Isn't this a bit of the pot calling the kettle black here? You boys don't exactly take criticism very well. David Stern made both of you look awful a couple days ago and you both tried to downplay it. And getting a fact or two wrong? Uh. How many times a day does that happen with you guys?

PLEASE SHOOT ME

Holy fuck. We have now entered 3 straight hours of horse racing talk to open today's MMD show. We are clearly in unchartered waters at this time. Does anyone really give a shit about this? Seriously, 3 straight hours and counting of thoroughbred talk? You got to be kidding me. How much more can a person writing a blog about Mike and the Mad Dog possibly take? You are testing me today. This is a struggle. I can't keep my focus anymore. First you put me through a riveting opening spot with John Hennegan. I watched the interview and still don't know who he is. Of course you knew D. Wayne Lukas was coming on at some point. Then, the kicker, over 30 minutes with Joe Drape! This guy has about as much personality as my left pinkie. Then comes a guy so lackluster you didn't even bother to font him. This is maddening. But then finally a break. No awful guest interview. But you can just see that empty chair between Mike and Chris rocking side to side, waiting to be occupied. And so who else could possibly be next? Garrett K. Gomez. You guys know him right? Big fan of his work? I mean, Mike said pound for pound, he's the best jockey out there. Please make this stop. Please. I will take anything right now. Soccer talk. Timmy's little league game. Russo's saturday morning tennis match-up. Mike breaking down the 2009 Oscars. Anything other than more horse racing talk. The only saving grace right now is that Doggie is about as interested in this as I am, and he's got to sit there and play into these interviews. This could be one of the worst days in MMD history.