Mike and the Mad Dog

2017AL50 min

Mike Francesa and Chris Russo ruled afternoon sports talk for 19 years.

Mantle and Maris. Clyde and The Pearl. Manning to Burress. Messier and Leetch. Over the years, New York sports fans have witnessed many legendary combinations. But there is another tandem of talents they will long remember, a pairing they didn't see as much as hear. Their names are Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, and their "Mike and the Mad Dog" show ruled afternoon sports talk from the studios of WFAN 660 for 19 years-not bad considering they didn't think they'd last 19 days together. Even though they both brought Long Island accents and encyclopedic sports knowledge to the microphone, they were distinctly different personalities who often clashed on and off the air. But when all was said and done, they changed sports radio forever. In this rollicking yet revealing 30 for 30 documentary directed by Daniel H. Forer, the story of their success is told through in-depth interviews, archival tapes and a chorus of colleagues and fans-some of them quite famous. Framed by a 2016 lovefest known as FrancesaCon, the film captures the chemistry that made "Mike and the Mad Dog" so compelling-never more so than on their final show together in 2008, when Christopher's father, Tony, made a call to Mike. Francesa and Russo both went on to success on their own. But for a generation of sports fans, there will never be another sports radio show as entertaining, as argument-inducing, as good as "Mike and The Mad Dog." And this documentary provides the proof.