The Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks have their seasons on the line in Tuesday night’s Game 7. And for some reason, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo put his career on the line too.
No one expected the Diamondbacks to be a World Series contender this year. Entering the season, they were at +7000 to win the NL Pennant and +17000 for the World Series. But even with the Diamondbacks being on the brink of a World Series appearance, Russo’s opinion of them hasn’t changed.
Mad Dog Russo says he will retire on the spot if the Diamondbacks win games 6 & 7 in Philadelphia.#NLCS @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/DcpRwyZbY2
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) October 23, 2023
“I’ve been wrong on Arizona from day one,” Russo admitted during his Monday afternoon radio show. “I would not be stunned if they won tonight [Game 6], I would be floored. And I’ll say this right now, and Bob Raissman, write it down, if they win the next two games and win this series in seven games–if they win, I will retire on the spot.”
Welp, Russo woke up floored, because Arizona beat Philly 5-1 Monday night, forcing a Game 7 and perhaps making the 64-year-old Radio Hall of Famer sweat a little bit. Ah yes, Game 7, the two best words in sports. But if the Phillies and Diamondbacks aren’t enough to attract fans to a Game 7 in Major League Baseball’s National League Championship Series, maybe Russo’s pending retirement will.
At 64 years old, it’s reasonable to assume Russo has thought about the possibility of retiring in the near future, but Tuesday? Is SiriusXM aware they might need to find a new afternoon host on Mad Dog Sports Radio?
How about Stephen A. Smith? Does he know there’s a good chance Russo won’t be on First Take Wednesday morning?
Sports radio and TV hosts love making wagers and promises to emphasize their point, but the retirement one is particularly dumb. At least ESPN Cleveland’s Aaron Goldhammer actually ate horse poop.
No one expects Russo to retire if the Diamondbacks advance to the World Series, just like Mel Kiper didn’t retire after Jimmy Clausen’s NFL career failed to pan out. But hopefully Arizona pulls it off, because it will be much more fun to hear Russo backpedal from retirement than it will be to hear him gloat about correctly picking Philadelphia to win the series.
