Stephen A. Smith was off First Take on Thursday morning which left Chris “Mad Dog” Russo in the main seat. Russo has a history of not being the most precise when it comes to pronunciations of athletes or, well, anybody. So when it came time to do the introduction for the day, Russo took on the challenge.
On the show as panelists to open proceedings were Dominique Foxworth and Brian Windhorst along with host Molly Qerim. While those names aren’t the simplest in the world, it’s not like Mike Krzyzewski or Giannis Antetokounmpo or even Greek soccer star Sokratis Papastathopoulos were sitting on the set.
However, that didn’t stop Russo from absolutely butchering the names of absolutely everybody with him on First Take.
"Windenhurst"
Dog butchering Domonique Foxworth, Brian Windhorst and Molly Qerim's names to open First Take. pic.twitter.com/3nlbV6s0P8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 14, 2024
“We’ve got our little pal there Dominic, we have our good little buddy there Windenhurst,” Russo said. “Did I pronounce it right?”
Windenhurst… sorry, Windhorst… simply replied, “No.”
As Qerim tried to restore order, she asked Russo if he could pronounce her name, in which he added a “u” to her name for some reason to pronounce it “Querim.” This is a man who has made a living for several decades speaking on radio and television for a living.
Russo says he’s joking, and maybe he is in on the joke since he’s developed quite the reputation for getting his tongue twisted over the years. But this is also the same guy who couldn’t properly pronounce Chris Olave’s name.
Qerim joked that the show had already become a disaster in the intro segment and called out for Stephen A. Smith to come back. But it was a beautiful disaster indeed.
