And Now, A Note From Brian Powell
14 years ago
Friday, August 15, 2008
Coke or Pepsi?
Always the topic of heated debate. Both offer a similar product, but people are very particular about which one they prefer. Well, the same can be said about Mike Francesa and Chris Russo. As Jim Calhoun calls in to stroke Mike and Chris' ego, and Governor Patterson waits in the wings, we ask the question: Did the better host remain at WFAN? What do you think? Who would you have preferred to remain in Astoria? What's your preference - coke or pepsi?
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6 comments:
I'd be shocked if Doggie doens't win this one. I would rather have had Dog stay than have Mike here solo, but I think its not too surprising. One of Mike's favorite thing he held over Dog (besides being a few years older - this helped him win every argument about Yankee Stadium, # of trips, memories, etc) was that he was at WFAN first. Maybe why he was always a peg above Dog in salary. Not too surprising that Dog was the one to go, but a sad reality for me
Mike did well today, but soon he'll turns back into his arrogant, cranky, know-it-all self. I'd rather it was Dog who stayed -- even though he knows bupkis about football and didn't care that tennis doesn't have a big following, he was more entertaining than Mike, sometimes for the wrong reasons.
This is a tough call. I still think both are needed to make the show work. Mike talks about bringing in others to help him. He needs to as I feel that Mike does not do a lot of preparation for his show. He is good at thinking on his feet and I'm sure today's opening was not written down. But, will Mike check a boxscore before 1 PM?
Dog usually came in with some type of game plan---to tweak the Yankee fan or Met fan, to bash thge Olympics. He wasn't great at checking sports pages before 1 PM, but he usually had a game plan as to where the show was going.
I think the fact that Mike is staying and Dog is leaving is revealing. Dog wants to do some different things. Mike is very content in being at WFAN doing the show, and doing NFL Now. He just started having kids, he is content with his life.
Dog's kids are older, he likes other sports (ie, tennis) and wants more than 5.5 hours of the same thing everyday.
Not sure how well Francesa on WFAN will do in the future. But, the alternatives are poor. Joe and Evan with Mets Talk. Kellerman and Kenny? You've got be kidding.
Francesa knows he doesn't have to be great to be better than these clowns.
Boy, did I pick the wrong profession.
Here's an interesting take on Mike and the Mad Dog on Madison Square Garden's blog.
http://blogs.msg.com/gameon/2008/08/15/francesas-power-grab/
Working solo, Dog is by far the better host. Funnier, edgier, more entertaining. Mike provides better analysis, but who can take five-plus hours of that daily? Not to mention, Russo is more likely, less pompous, and just plain more likable.
I'm guessing most listeners would agree. Ask yourself this: if Mike were leaving instead of Dog, would there be the same uproar? Maybe, but people would get over it faster. I don't think most would miss Mike very much in the long run. But Russo will be missed for a long, long time at WFAN.
As for the future, Russo, like Howard Stern, will become a huge star at Sirius. Not as big as Stern, that's impossible. But many New Yorkers will follow him over, and many others nationally will discover him for the first time - and be hooked as we all were here. And like the Stern Show, Russo can do a national program while still talk about being based in NYC, and often discussing issues related to this market. He can still bash the Yanks, hate the Mets, etc.
Bottom line: We all took these guys for granted, thinking the show would last forever, or certainly much longer than this. It was a great, historic run - for them and us. But let's be clear. The imprint of the show, while co-hosted by two men, was at least 60-percent, if not more, Dog's doing. His monologues - which he INVENTED on sports talk radio, his infectious laugh, his encyclopedic memory for game details, his ability to pull topics out of his butt on slow sports days to make the phones light up.
I guarantee you this: When Dog starts at Sirius, I'll be right there with him. And many others will too.
Stern has all but disappeared from the talk show landscape. Yes, he has his listeners and yes, he makes gobs of money, but he gets no more coverage. When he said something controversial on the radio, the media covered it like a blanket covers a baby on a cold winter's night. Now, you never hear anything about Stern.
Russo is going to get paid and good for him. I always felt that he did the heavy lifting on MMD, but Mike, because of his reputation, got eh slightly bigger paycheck.
I won't pay for Sirius radio and there will be others like me. It's just another $500 investment I don't want to make. Dog will not get the coverage like he did on WFAN. No more bashing from Mushnick, Raissman, or Best, or even Sandomir. No more coverage on the YES Network. Maybe MSG or SNY will simulcast his show against Mike's---wouldn't that be something.
I like Dog, I like Mike because he could calm Doggie down. Now, not so much.
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