Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is taking his radio show to Bar A in Lake Como, New Jersey for the first time in his tenure at SiriusXM. It may not sound like a big deal for his newer fanbase, but it’s a blast from Russo’s WFAN listeners.
The news of Russo broadcasting from Bar A on Aug. 4 was probably already announced on his radio show or in a SiriusXM press release somewhere, but the Radio Hall of Famer spoke about it toward the end of his interview on The Dan Patrick Show Monday morning. Patrick, seemingly unaware of Russo’s long history with Bar A from his days at WFAN, was surprised and confused by Russo opting to make a trip down to the Jersey Shore.
“I did that show at Bar A way back in the WFAN days,” Russo explained. “And I had a good time, bands, Southside Johnny and everything else. And then I left WFAN and I have not been. I mailed in my resignation from Bar A on a Thursday night because I did not have a fax machine. So I went to Bar A because I was at the Jersey Shore to mail in my resignation when I went to Sirius.”
Patrick noted the irony of Russo faxing his resignation to WFAN, the same way Pat Riley infamously resigned from the New York Knicks about 13 years earlier. After being a frequent guest on Mike and the Mad Dog during his tenure with the Knicks, Riley has not spoken to the radio hosts after they ripped him for faxing his resignation.
WFAN was not stunned by the resignation, they were already aware that Russo was exiting the station when he sent the fax from Bar A. “FAN wanted to get that done immediately,” Russo said, attempting to defend the faxed resignation despite crushing Riley for his. Riley, however, has similarly said he resigned from the Knicks weeks before sending the infamous fax, but was ordered to send a documented letter of resignation by the commissioner’s office.
“In that letter, I was not allowed to go work at ESPN Radio,” Russo added. “So in the resignation letter, to get it in, I had to indicate – and I was going to Sirius anyway – that I was not allowed to be on the air at ESPN. So they wanted that ASAP, so that is why I ran to Bar A as I was at the Jersey Shore for the summer, and I got that resignation in. So now I go back for the first time in 15 years.”
Although Russo never did work for ESPN Radio’s local affiliate in New York, he has made frequent appearances on The Michael Kay Show and has more recently enjoyed a surge in relevance since joining Stephen A. Smith on First Take.
While Russo’s first show at Bar A since departing WFAN is exciting, it’s going to be a big disappointment if Francesa doesn’t make a cameo. Russo and Francesa have not been on stage together at Bar A since 2007, a show that was an annual end-of-summer bash for the station. But it’s hard to imagine Francesa makes an appearance considering Aug. 4 sits in the heart of Saratoga’s race schedule, which is where the Sports Pope spends most of his summer.
After Russo resigned from WFAN in 2008, Francesa hosted the annual Bar A show by himself that year and continued the tradition throughout his tenure in the afternoon drive slot for the station. Russo returns to Bar A nearly 16 years after his last summer show there, and four years after Francesa’s annual visit. This time, however, Russo will be there for SiriusXM on Aug. 4.
