Is the wait finally over for a new “Mike and the Mad Dog” reunion?
It very well could be, according to Stephen A. Smith, who vowed Wednesday on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show that he’s going to bring Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo “both in soon for an appearance on ‘First Take.'”
“My respect for both of them is profound,” Smith said. “They are pioneers in this business. And when I brought Mad Dog on my show ‘First Take,’ the bosses didn’t think they could get him. I picked up the phone and in like two seconds he was like, ‘I’m in. I’m there for you.’ I love the guy. This guy and Mike Francesa started sports talk radio. They made sports talk radio what it is. And guess what else I’m gonna do, Howard? I’m gonna bring them both in soon for an appearance on ‘First Take.'”
Stephen A. Smith promised Howard Stern that a ‘Mike and the Mad Dog’ reunion was coming ‘soon’ on ESPN. Getty Images for SiriusXMFor the past month, the world has waited with bated breath to see if a “Mike and the Mad Dog” reunion would happen on “First Take.” The Post’s Andrew Marchand first reported in December how there had been talks of a pairing of Russo and Francesa on the program. Then, Francesa himself confirmed discussions had been had, but not lately.
During Smith’s wide-ranging conversation with Stern on Wednesday, Stern asked why Francesa and Russo, who were No. 1 in New York in afternoon drive for nearly two decades together on WFAN, just couldn’t get along.
“What happened is this: You’ve been working together for years,” Smith said. “I don’t know what the divorce rate in this country is, but I’m sure it’s over 50 percent. You got people who got married, and get down between the sheets with each other, that all of a sudden say, I don’t want you no more. How you gonna do that and then be surprised that two people who are arguing with each other for a living every day ultimately get tired of one another after 19 years?”
Mike and the Mad Dog had a 19-year run in afternoon drive on WFAN. Cindy OrdFrancesa and Russo have had a number of one-off reunions since their split, ranging from a gathering at Radio City Music Hall to appearances on each others’ shows.
The true magic of a future reunion would be getting them to commit to enough time working together that the debates would start to get chippy again.
Russo joined “First Take” last February.
