They’re scheduled to have a reunion later this month, but for those who attended the third annual Francesacon on Saturday, they got a special sneak preview as Mike Francesa and Christopher Russo got together for a nine-minute mini-Mike and the Mad Dog show.
The annual Francesacon lets fans of the Sports Pope gather in one place for a day and it’s been so successful, that it had to move to a bigger venue after the inaugural excursion. And Francesa himself seems to enjoy the adulation from fans who chant “Numbah One” and “F*ck Michael Kay” throughout.
As Francesa took the stage at Irving Plaza, he first joked that Russo wasn’t in attendance, but then surprised fans when he brought out Russo to speak to them. The Mad Dog hugged Francesa, seemed genuinely surprised about the turnout and how much the fans wish he and Mike would reunite permanently. The entire Russo appearance was recorded by one Francesacon attendee:
Russo and Francesa discussed a few things that happened since they went on their separate ways eight years ago including Mad Dog’s beloved San Francisco Giants winning three World Series Championships in six years, the Sports Pope’s beloved Yankees falling into a rabbit hole and predictions on how the Mets and Yankees would do in 2016. Even though they’ve sporadically done appearances together over the last eight years, you can see the chemistry between the two is still there.
By giving the Francesacon audience a little taste of their upcoming reunion, Francesa and Russo didn’t use all of their bullets and ensured that they’ll have fresh material for their March 30 event.
Even so, the mini reunion was certainly the highlight of this year’s Francesacon and one which will be difficult to top as long as the event takes place.
[Newsday/Photo courtesy of Newsday]
