OK, perhaps Andrew Ridgley would’ve been a better analogy. On the occasion of WFAN’s 25th Anniversary, Mike Francesa’s former co-conspirator, Chris Russo tells the New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman that he’s not ruling out a return to the New York terrestrial station, though given their success without him (and the commercial/artistic failure of Sirius/XM’s Mad Dog Radio), who’s to say he’d have an opportunity?
“You never want to say never. You know how the radio business is. So, you never say never, but I haven’t thought about it in my crystal ball, let’s put it that way,” Russo said. “But I’ll tell you right now, if Mike and I did shows together we would have no trouble picking right up where we left off.”
Russo knows the business. He knows Francesa, as a solo act, has maintained the kind of ratings the two of them produced. He also knows through all those years together he figured out a way to deal with Francesa’s mood swings, using humor to soften his rough edges and oversized ego.
“I am who I am. My nuttiness cannot be duplicated. They miss my nut sensibility,” Russo said. “They miss the things that just came out of my mouth. From that standpoint I had some impact.”
The decision to part ways with Francesa was the biggest one of Russo’s life. It’s one he made himself. To this day he still asks, “You think I did the right thing?” Yet, when asked to reflect on his years at FAN he’s fuzzy.
“It’s almost like in the last four years, it’s almost like I’ve forgotten I was at FAN for so long. This (Sirius/XM’s ‘Mad Dog Radio’) is a different kind of element, a different kind of show. It’s all-consuming. It’s so different than what I was used to,” Russo said. “You forget what you accomplished in that 20-year period. It’s almost like I forget I was at FAN for 20 years.”
When Russo’s deal is up in 2013, I suspect he’ll find gainful employment somewhere on the radio dial. Conversely, it’s probably gonna be overnights (at 7-11) or podcast-city for the man with more pseudonyms than cogent thoughts that follows him on weekday evenings.
Worcester Tornados play-by-play announcer Nick Gagalis has additional duties with the Can-Am League franchise including, but not limited to rolling out the tarp, and babysitting Jose Canesco (above). If Canseco’s kept a low profile of late, no one can say Gagalis isn’t doing his best Jay Horowitz impersonation when it comes to putting a positive spin on things. From the Worcester Telegram’s Bill Doyle :
When Gagalis traveled with the Tornadoes to Quebec earlier this month, he slept in what was supposed to be Jose Canseco’s single hotel room. The 47-year-old former major leaguer missed the long bus trip (some say purposely). Canseco’s absence saved Gagalis from having to sleep on a cot in a room with two players.
As the team’s marketing manager, Gagalis helps arrange Canseco’s various media interviews. Canseco was hitting only .194 with one home run in 20 games before the team placed him on the disabled list last week. Gagalis plans to post his call of that home run on his website, nickgagalis.com. Canseco did not travel to Texas, but Gagalis thinks he’ll return at some point.
“No matter what happens,” Gagalis said, “we were happy to have him when we did. We hope he can come back as soon as possible. It’s just a matter of making sure that if he does come back, he gets at-bats. We don’t want to have him just sitting on the bench.”
The Tornadoes signed Canseco 11 years after he left the majors to draw fans. Some fans are disappointed when they go to games and learn that Canseco won’t play, but Gagalis insists the team has more to offer — including theme nights, giveaways and promotions.
“We’re not the Worcester Jose Cansecos,” Gagalis said. “We are an affordable, family, fun thing to do.”
Much has been made this week of the Diamondbacks’ curious decision to remove lead TV play-by-play announcer Daron Sutton from his duties mid-season for what’s being called a “dress code violation” (translation : Sutton prefers a suit and tie to the club’s mandated Snakes logo polo). Sutton might not be returning to the booth anytime soon (at least not for Arizona), with at least one reporter implying the dress code issue is really the tip of the iceburg. Sutton has also been banished from tomorrow’s Fox regional telecast of Arizona’s visit to Milwaukee, where the Journal-Sentinel’s Bob Woolfey recalls the broadcaster’s prior tenure with the Brewers.
In 2002, when Sutton was with the Brewers, this columnist wrote a story about Sutton’s decision not to say the word “damn” when he had to read promos for a Fox Sports Net show, “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.”
When Sutton referred to the show in the promos, he called it “The Best Sports Show Period.”
Sutton said he did read the whole title of the show in the first week or two of the season, but became uncomfortable when he had to read a promo for family day, followed by one for “Best Damn.” That was when he started routinely leaving out damn.
“I think my whole approach on that is we are always trying to sell this game to kids and families,” Sutton said at the time. “I personally don’t see those two going together. I have no problem with the name of the show.”
What the heck is this shirt pulling about? Did Soriano do this in Tampa when he saved 45 games in 2010? Thankfully, Soriano saved only two games in 2011 but he finished six others. That must have been eight times that he pulled his stunt, yet apparently he was not admonished. Maybe nobody wanted any trouble with a marginal pitcher who had no such opportunities in the five Yankee playoff games in 2011. After all, the Yankees had the immortal, indestructible Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time, for all that’s worth, which obviously is not very much as the Yankees have gotten along quite well without Rivera since his season ending injury May 3, 2012 before the Yankees lost 4-3 in Kansas City. Rivera’s last appearance was a save on April 30 2012.
In 2012 Soriano has finished 21 Yankee games, saving 17. Are we Yankee fans to be subjected to this clown pulling his shirt of of his pants immediately after each Yankee win that he finishes? What does this act signify? Do other players on other teams do this? What am I missing? Or is Rafael Soriano simply a slob?
I’m all for it as long as they replace it with a cowboy riding a rocket waving his hit for every homerun hit in Minute Maid Park. The new structure could act a ramp for the rocket. If it’s not that then I’m not really for getting rid of the train. Yes, I know trains have nothing to do with Astros, but it has a lot to do with the old building and I think it’s a unique, classy feature in the ballpark.
Putting aside for a moment the folly of the Brooklyn Cyclones hosting an event promoting the WWE’s “Be A Star” anti-bullying campaign (if encouraging arenas full of children to taunt Vickie Guerrero isn’t bullying, what is?) who amongst us cannot smile at seeing the former Sexual Chocolate, Mark Henry, delivering a blow to the beak of Sandy Seagull? Especially if we’re graced with the knowledge that’s Jeff Wilpon in the seagull suit.
While we’re wishing Jeff a swift recovery, given the tone of the event, perhaps it wasn’t the greatest idea to have shown this clip on the MCU Park Jumbotron.
