I spent many years listening to sports radio in NYC, and Mike Francesa and Chris Russo (who made up the Mike and the Mad Dog show on AM radio for almost twenty years) were an extremely entertaining duo. They talked and screamed about sports for three hours a day and made for a great pair. Russo played the over-the-top screaming maniac, and Francesa comes across more calmly and rationally, but with an air of arrogance. The two have gone on with their own radio talkshows since they split in 2008. Francesa is still on NY sports radio as well as part of the YES Network. Russo has his own national sports radio show on SiriusXM. The video above looks particularly at Francesa after the split, and what’s brilliant is that the impressario Mike Zaun has him down to a science. From his mannerisms to his way of talking to his means of arguing, it’s fun to watch. But the real stroke of genius is recontextualizing it within the Revoltuionary War casting Francesa as a Loyalist pundit/commentator. Simply brilliant!
Hat tip to Tom Dargan for the link!
Update: Francesa addresses the parody on his show with “I’ve never watched YouTube” 🙂 So awesome, “God bless the guy!” What a New York response.
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