They’re talking sports going at it as hard as they can!

Mike Francesa and Chris Russo — the longtime former partners in “Mike and the Mad Dog” on WFAN’s afternoon drive — are doing a home-and-home series this week. Thursday, they appeared on Francesa’s BetRivers podcast, and Friday they will do a spot on Russo’s SiriusXM radio show at 4 pm ET.

The duo was champing at the bit to gripe about the Mets retiring Willie Mays’ jersey, 50 years after he played relatively poorly for the team in 1972 and 1973 at the end of his legendary career.

“I know I’m a Mickey Mantle guy, but are we kidding with retiring Willie Mays’ number with the Mets? 50 years later? Are we serious?” Francesa asked, abruptly, in a hard pivot from a conversation about the Jets.

Russo was equally puzzled.

“I screamed about that all over the place,” he said.

“Willie Mays hit 14 home runs for the Mets and fell down in center field. Are we seriously retiring his number?” Francesa asked.

Acknowledging that co-founding Mets owner Joan Payson apparently made a promise to Mays to retire the no. 24, Francesa remained beside himself.

“I have nothing against Willie Mays. I’m a Mickey Mantle guy, I admit it. The Giants should retire his jersey from here to Kingdom Come. He’s one of the greatest players of all-time. We all know that. But let’s be honest. He didn’t do anything with the Mets!”

Russo said that Mays went to the Mets wanting this done, and went into an aside about Mets owner Steve Cohen.

“You know what he should be? He should be a talk show caller!” Russo barked. “He would’ve been great for you and me. Steve in Great Neck, let’s go!”

Neither Mike nor Dog had an issue with Keith Hernandez getting his jersey retired, but continued to harp on Mays. Francesa said Mays was “nothing but trouble” in the 1973 World Series, where the then 42-year-old Mays struggled tracking the ball in the outfield.

Said Russo: “He played 135 games — hated Yogi Berra, and fell all over himself in the outfield!”

In fairness, the former partners also got on the Yankees for the sin of retiring too many numbers. Francesa didn’t love that they retired Reggie Jackson’s number — “give me a break” — because he did not play long enough with the Yankees.

“To me, you have to be an all-time great WITH the team to get your number retired,” Francesa said. “That doesn’t mean play 4-6 years and have five good years. That means be there for a generation, like Jeter and Mariano were. I could argue Bernie Williams more than some of these other guys. He was a Yankee his whole life!”

“One hundred percent, you and I are on the same page,” Russo said.

It’s like they never left.